A Different Point of View
by ziva2012
Summary: Based on the popular episode, this story takes the reader into another new direction. This one is for all you Jack and Sam shippers out there. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one

"Incoming wormhole, Major!" Sgt. Harriman shouted. He knew there were no teams due back today, so this could only mean one thing...trouble.

"Are you getting an IDC, Sergeant?" asked Major Sam Carter as she hurried over to take a seat behind the computer terminal next to his. Sam had been working in the control room in her down time, trying to tweak a new, faster dialing program. She thought that today would be a nice quiet time in which to concentrate, but obviously she had been wrong.

"I don't understand, Major Carter...it's SG-1's IDC!" Sam's blue eyes concentrated on the monitor in front of her. She could see that Walter was correct, but that didn't make any sense! They both heard the heavy tread of General George Hammond on the metal stairs as he hurried down from his office one level above the control room.

"What is it, Major?" Hammond asked the highest ranking airman in the room.

"It's SG-1's IDC, Sir. What should I do?" Sam asked the older, bald man. She was clearly confused and very concerned. How could anyone else have SG-1's IDC?

"Call the marines and then open the iris, Major," he ordered her, and she did as he directed. Within seconds a number of marines dressed in battle gear ran into the gate room and placed themselves strategically around the bottom of the gate ramp, pointing their weapons at the iris.

"Open the iris, Sergeant!" Sam shouted, as the final marine ran to his position. The large metal covering retracted and now the shimmering event horizon could be seen. They all waited nervously to see what or who would step out of the wormhole. No one expected the sight that met their eyes. A person dressed in what appeared to be some sort of military, combat-style uniform stumbled through the gate. The individual took a few weaving steps and fell, rolling to a stop at the bottom of the gate ramp, just as the wormhole lost stability and blinked out.

Two marines ran to check the person's condition, and one of them turned his face up toward the control room.

"Well, is the person alive, son?" Hammond asked, upon seeing the shocked look on the young marine's face.

"Yes, but she's badly injured, Sir!" he called out.

"Get the medical team in there!" Hammond ordered, and Sgt. Harriman hurried to do as he was told, while Major Carter ran down the steps, followed by General Hammond. In less than six seconds they were standing aside to allow the medical team first access to the gate room. The blast door whooshed open. The base's CMO, Dr. Janet Frasier, took over, squatting on the gate ramp next to the stranger. After taking her pulse, she turned the injured person's face toward her, wiping the blood away with some gauze, and that's when Janet cried out.

"Oh, my God! Look," Janet said, holding up the name tag she had just removed from the stranger's uniform. Time seemed to stand still as Major Carter and General Hammond read the name, 'Capt. Sam Carter'. Janet stared up at Sam, her large brown eyes looking even larger in her pale face.

Janet was obviously in a state of shock, but she quickly recovered and began to give orders. "She's bleeding from several wounds. We need to get her to the infirmary stat!" The orderlies obeyed her instructions, and in seconds the injured woman was placed on a gurney. Finally both General Hammond and Major Carter got a good look at the stranger's face through all the blood. They were just as shocked as Janet to see that the woman looked very much like Major Carter!

"Dr. Frasier, I want a full report on her condition as soon as humanly possible. And I have to ask, how could this happen?" General Hammond asked the question that was foremost in all of their minds.

"I have no idea, General. But first I need to get her stabilized. When she comes to, hopefully she'll be able to explain," Janet suggested reasonably.

"I want to go along, if that's alright, General?" Sam was intrigued by this stranger who looked like her and even had her name, and she couldn't wait to hear how she'd come to be here.

"Go ahead, Major. You're supposed to be on down time anyway," he said, shaking his head. He knew, better than anyone, that Major Sam Carter didn't believe in down time. She spent all of her time working...or so it seemed to him. He sighed as he watched her follow the gurney down the hallway. 'I hope one day you get a chance to enjoy life, Major,' he thought with affection as he watched her go. Sam had become like a daughter to him, and he often worried that she worked way too hard for her own good.

In the infirmary the new patient was stripped of her uniform and treated for her injuries, none of which were life-threatening. Then she was given a complete physical, most of which was accomplished while she was still unconscious.

"I've stabilized her. She has two gun shot wounds...one in the left arm, and the other in her right thigh. She lost quite a bit of blood from the thigh wound. And she has a contusion on her forehead, which is not life-threatening, but most certainly caused her to black out. She also has lacerations on her hands, as though she was fending off an attacker with them. I'm giving her a transfusion of your blood, Major. It seems to be a perfect match, except for the naquadah that is. Her blood contains none."

"Will you need more?" Sam asked, thinking she would donate more blood for her look- alike.

"For her? No, probably not. But I should replace what I gave her," Janet told her, and Sam nodded.

Sam jumped up on empty bed next to Captain Carter's and leaned back. A nurse came over and pulled the privacy curtain around the bed and hooked her up to the machine that would take her blood and prepare it for storage. While she donated blood, Sam wondered about her duplicate, for want of a better term. The woman did look almost exactly like her, except for the longer hair and a one-inch scar above her left eyebrow. And when the cut on her right temple healed, she might have another scar there too.

Sam's mind, which rarely rested, began contemplating any possibilities that would explain just exactly who or what this Captain Carter really was. Of course Sam was familiar with alternate universes; Daniel Jackson had been to one just the year before. So was that where this Carter was from? No, that couldn't be it. Daniel had specifically said that the Samantha Carter he met there was not military. So, could this Carter be from an alternate, alternate reality? Yes, as odd as that sounded, Sam was fairly certain that was the only explanation possible.

Just then Sam heard a familiar voice laughing and joking with some of the nursing staff. It was her CO, and Sam was curious to see how he would react when he saw Captain Carter.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

"So where's your new patient, Doc," Jack asked, and Janet pointed to the first bed. He approached the bed quietly, separating the privacy curtains just enough to slip through. Janet followed him. The patient's head was turned toward him, and he could clearly see her features...the blonde hair like a halo on the pillow...her peaches and cream complexion...her beauty marred only slightly by the bandage on her temple and one tiny, white scar on the left side of her forehead. He turned around and mouthed the word, "Wow!" to Janet, who simply nodded.

"Sam's here too," she whispered. "I gave our guest some of Sam's blood, so Sam's replacing it. Perfect match, except the naquadah. I don't think it'll hurt her any, since it hasn't hurt our Sam," she added.

"Where is she?" Jack asked, wanting to know where his second-in-command was. He always worried about her well-being, even though he hardly ever let on. But Janet knew him and Sam well enough to know when they were feeling protective of each other. She saw it in his eyes now and smiled at him, as she gestured toward the adjacent bed.

"Next bed. Oh, and while you're there, see if you can get her to go home for a day or two. She's been here the entire weekend," Janet told him with obvious disapproval.

"I'll try, but you know Carter," he said. She did know Sam, but this new Carter was still a mystery to her!

"I thought I did, Colonel. But in her case," she said looking at the new patient, "I would have to disagree with you!" He raised an eyebrow and nodded his head in understanding. Then he quietly went to the second bed and smiled warmly at his 2iC.

"So, Carter, what d'ya think? Evil twin? Robot copy? Doppelganger? Alternate universe thingy?" he asked in his own inimitable style.

Sam smiled at him. He was so adorable when he was in one of his silly moods, which was most of the time...at least when they weren't facing down some bad guy. No one knew better than Sam Carter how intense and serious Jack could be when it was necessary! He just didn't let the serious side of his life take precedence, and for that Sam was very thankful. There had been many difficult times when his humor had seen her through, given her courage and the strength to carry on. To her way of thinking he was the best CO an airman could have, and she loved him for it...and for so much more!

"I'm pretty sure it's the last, Sir," she replied as seriously as she could. "I can't wait till she comes to!"

"Yah, well, the Doc will let you know when that happens," he told her as a nurse came in to remove the needle from her arm. "In the meantime, I want you to go home," he said.

"But, Colonel..."

"No buts, Major! It's 19:00 hours on a Sunday night, fer cryin out loud! You are going home to get some rest! Daniel and Teal'c won't be back from their trip till Wednesday, so we're off rotation till then anyway."

Daniel had decided to take their alien teammate to see two of Earth's more famous playgrounds, Las Vegas and Disneyland. Actually Teal'c had chosen to add Disneyland to their itinerary, but Daniel hadn't seemed very opposed to going there. Jack could just imagine the big guy and the geek going on all those rides together. They must be turning quite a few heads about now!

"I don't want you toiling away in your lab until they get back. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sir, but what about..." She really wanted to stick around, to be the first to talk to Captain Carter. Maybe she would lie to him...tell him she was leaving, just to get him off her back.

"Ack! What did I just say? You're going home now, even if I have to take you there myself," he stated forcefully. He knew how stubborn Carter could be. If he left before making sure she went home, she wouldn't leave at all. He decided right then and there that he would drive her home.

"In fact, if you're good to go, I think I will drive you home," he said, and Sam gave him a peeved look. She knew he'd figured her out, and so she gave in.

"Alright, Sir. Just give me ten to change. I'll meet you outside the locker rooms."

Ten minutes later she and Jack were strolling the corridor on their way to the elevator. Suddenly they heard her name being paged over the loud speakers. They both ran to the elevator and took it down to the infirmary level, where they found a very distressed Captain Carter trying to get out of bed. A male orderly and Dr. Frasier were trying to keep her there, without injuring her further.

"Let me go! I have to find them! Let go, damn it!" she yelled at them, grabbing at their hands with both of hers, even though one of her arms was in a sling.

"Captain Carter, if you don't settle down this instant, I will have to sedate you! Is that what you want?" Janet asked her. She continued to struggle, until she saw the man and woman who had come up behind the petite doctor.

"Oh, my God!" When she saw the faces of Col. O'Neill and Major Sam Carter, the visitor stopped struggling. "You're here! You're both here! I prayed you would be."

"Captain? What are you talking about? Why have you come here? HOW have you come here?" Janet asked her. She waved the orderly away, seeing as her patient had calmed down considerably. Sam stepped up closer to the bed, while Jack went around to the other side. Captain Carter followed him with her eyes, which had suddenly begun to tear up. Then she tore her eyes away from him and looked at Sam.

"I'm Captain Samantha Carter of the SGA. I'm from an alternate timeline...a sort of parallel universe, if you will. You ARE aware that there are an infinite number of realities all existing at the same time as yours, aren't you?"

"Yes. Well, that is to say we know that alternate realities do exist. It's only speculation that they're infinite in number," Sam qualified.

"Yes, that's very true. But believe me, there are many," she chuckled. "Anyway, I perfected a way to use the stargate to travel from one reality to another. I'll tell you more about that later, if you're interested, but right now I don't have time to waste! I've been to over two dozen alternate realities in the past nine days. Nearly got myself killed in that last one. Phew, were they ever a messed up bunch! Anyway, I came here because I need your help. My CO will not allow me to use the stargate for this purpose again, once I return home. It's really not his fault. It's that SOB President Kinsey. He says he's saving mankind from the demons that come through the stargate, by shutting down the entire program."

Everyone present made a sour face at the mention of Kinsey's name. "President!" Jack scoffed angrily. 'How in the hell did that bastard get elected president in any reality?' Jack wondered.

"Yes, President Kinsey. Anyway, I'm getting off track. The reason I'm here is that you, Major Carter, and you, Colonel O'Neill, are my last chance to save my daughter's life!" she said, looking directly at Jack and then back to Sam.

Jack cleared his throat and stood there looking very uncomfortable and confused. Janet and Sam glanced at him, at each other, and then back to the patient. No one spoke for several seconds. Finally Sam took her duplicate's hand and asked her to explain.

"I'm sorry, but we don't understand what you're trying to tell us," Sam said gently.

"Katie has a rare disease...it's similar to leukemia...but like no cancer we've ever encountered before. Her doctor says she needs cells from someone with exactly the same genetic makeup as her own...a sibling to be precise," she explained, as her eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry about your little girl," Jack said sincerely. "But what does that have to do with us?" he asked. He had the distinct feeling he wasn't going to like the answer. He could also tell that she was about to cry, and a crying Carter was one thing he preferred not to witness. He always wanted to take Sam in his arms and comfort her when she was this upset, but that was something he wasn't allowed to do with one, and something he didn't dare do with the other.

"My Jack...Lt. Col. Jack O'Neill, that is...was declared MIA four months ago. I'm certain he's alive, but so far we haven't been able to find him. And now the search has been called off." And that's when she lost her composure and tears began to spill down her cheeks. "...otherwise I could have gotten pregnant by now, and we could have used cells from the fetus to save Katie. As it is, a sibling from an alternate reality is my only hope!"

"I'm sorry. I still don't understand," Janet told the distraught woman.

"I think I do. Your baby's father is Jack O'Neill. And you were hoping that the Colonel and I have children," Sam explained.

"Huh?" Jack asked, not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.

"Yes, that's it exactly," Captain Carter admitted. "So, how many children do you two have?" she asked, looking hopefully from Sam to Jack and back again.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

Jack and Sam just stood there. Janet looked at both Jack and Sam and then down at the floor. The doctor knew how the two felt about each other, but she also knew they held strictly to the regulations. So just exactly how did this Captain and her Jack O'Neill get around that problem, Janet had to wonder.

Jack hadn't even thought about that issue yet. He was too busy trying to keep himself in control! And now he needed to go take a cold shower, because he couldn't stand to be around Sam for one more minute...not when the topic of conversation involved her and him swapping spit...doing the dirty deed...humping like bunnies...making babies, fer crying out loud! Over the past couple of years he had thought about doing exactly that with Sam...well, the humping part anyway. The making babies part was a whole other ball of wax entirely, and one he was even less prepared to discuss! So he mumbled something about leaving the ladies to explain and fled the infirmary as though a demon worse than the Goa'uld were after him.

Jack talked to himself under his breath all the way to the elevator, causing several airmen to turn and stare. "Damned regulations!" he fumed. When it came to having hot, steamy sex with Sam, Jack had thought about doing that ever since the first day he met her! It was just that it if he DID do it, he'd wind up in a federal prison somewhere, and Sam would wind up...well, he wasn't sure what would happen to her, but she'd undoubtedly get booted out of the Air Force, and that just wasn't acceptable to him!

Sam had watched Jack leave. Part of her understood his uneasiness, but a bigger part of her was disappointed that he wouldn't even stay and listen to what Captain Carter had to say. After all, the poor woman had based her hopes on him too! Sam also wondered secretly if Jack was at all interested in making babies with her. She sensed that he was attracted to her, but how deep did his feelings go? This could been her chance to find out exactly how Jack felt about her, but instead he had avoided the issue, much as they both had done for the past two years or more.

"I'm sorry, Captain. The Colonel and I are...er...well...he's my CO," Sam sputtered. We're not allowed to...er..."

Janet decided to step in and explain, seeing that Sam was for once a bit tongue-tied. "What Major Carter is trying to say, Captain, is this; in OUR reality, CO's are not allowed to fraternize with people under their command. Don't you have that regulation in your world?"

"No, of course not! That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Captain Carter declared.

"Well, some of us might agree with you," she said, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Sam. "But I'm afraid that's the way it is here," the doctor confirmed.

Sam's eyes had grown big and round with surprise when she'd heard the Captain's reply. She was crushed and totally jealous. Why couldn't she have been born into a reality where she was free to have the man she wanted? It just wasn't fair!

"I'm sorry, I've got to attend to some pressing matters," Sam said, quickly walking out of the infirmary. Sam was so upset that she totally forgot that she had already changed to go home, so she headed to the locker room to do just that. When she got there, she automatically began stripping down, totally unaware that the clothing she was removing was her civilian clothes. When she realized her error, she decided a shower might be a good idea anyway. It might calm her nerves and soothe her back, which she had to admit had suffered too long from sitting on the stool in her lab.

Sam figured that by now the Colonel had already left without her, so she'd have to drive herself home or just stay in her base quarters tonight. As she picked up her clothing from the floor and hung them up neatly in her locker, she talked to herself under her breath, swearing and cursing at fate or whatever it was that had put her in a universe where Jack was off limits to her. It was only when she stepped into the shower room, that she became aware of the sound of water running. She was shocked to find that there was someone else in there at this late hour and even more surprised to see exactly who that someone was!

She'd seen him dressed skimpily before...in a bathing suit and even wrapped in a towel a time or two, but she'd never seen him totally naked, and so she just stood there raking her eyes over him. Jack was standing with his back to her, his head directly under the spray...water ricocheting off his head, cascading down over his broad shoulders and over his back, to coarse enticingly between and over his buttocks...before sluicing down his long, lean legs. He was not as thin as he appeared to be in all those loose-fitting clothes he always wore, but he was more wiry than muscular. That was fine with Sam, who had never been that fond of the body-builder type anyway.

Suddenly he moved as if to turn around. Sam quickly turned her back to him and entered the first shower cubicle along the opposite wall. Keeping her back to him, she turned on the water, dropped her towel and flipped it over the partition. Then she held out her hand to gauge the temperature of the water. It was warm enough, so she stepped into it and began to soap her body, beginning with her underarms and breasts. She wasn't aware of it, but the water in the other shower stall had stopped.

The first instant she knew she was not alone in her shower stall was when something tickled her butt. It was just a second later, when an arm came around her and a big hand came to rest over hers, that she knew Jack had joined her in the shower. And now the something was firmly pressed into her backside, and she knew, without a doubt, exactly what that something was!

"Sir!" she yelped as he his hand moved, taking hers with it...slowly massaging her breast as the water pelted down on her...his erection squeezed between their two bodies.

"Shhhh! Major, you don't want anyone to hear you, now do you?" Of course he was correct; she didn't want them to be found in this very compromising situation!

"Be quiet and just relax," he crooned as his lips found the back of her neck, while Sam grabbed onto the top of the enclosure. It was either hang on as best she could, or melt to the floor in a puddle of quivering flesh!

"But...the regs...we can't do this!" she chirped, her voice sounding an octave higher than normal as she felt him nudge her legs apart and his hardness slip between the cheeks of her ass. Sam panicked and tensed up, trying to close her legs. Even though Sam wanted Jack in the worst way, she was terrified of the consequences. They'd be found out! She'd lose her military career! He could go to prison!

"I'm tired of waiting, Sam. We both know we want this, and the only thing that's stopping us are those damned regs!" And now his cock was slipping ever closer to her hot, steamy hole. If she move her feet apart a little more...and lifted up...just... a... bit...ahhhhhh, there! With one thrust of his hips, his cock breached her opening and slid inside her, and it felt like heaven! Jack's erection fit inside her as though it was made for her and her alone!

"Oh, God, Sam!" Jack choked out, as his member settled deep inside her warm body. For a second he didn't move...he just pressed his head to the side of hers and inhaled, luxuriating in her scent. And then he lifted his head a bit and began to thrust into her...over and over again. "God, you're so tight," he hissed into her hair, as his hips slammed into her butt, pressing her up against the shower wall with each forward push...his arms encircling her protectively.

Sam brought one hand down and put it over one of his, pushing until his fingers were searching between her legs. Jack understood what she wanted and began to circle her clit with his middle finger, sticky and wet with her arousal. The warm water cascaded down their joined bodies, splattering this way and that as their primal cries of satisfaction echoed off the walls of the shower room. Sam arched her back a bit, changing the angle of penetration just slightly. Then she leaned into his hand and rotated her hips, a slow burning sensation forming behind her clit and in her belly, while Jack continued to piston into her from behind. Sam gasped, choking back her cry of surrender as she pressed her face against the cold, hard tiles. Jack followed her a second later, his scream muffled in her hair. His cock twitched a few more times, needing to empty itself into her or die. Then Jack kissed her head and pulled out of her, leaving her feeling cold and empty...but not for long.

Jack turned her around and cuddled her to his chest, feeling her shudder involuntarily as she began to cry.

"It's okay, Baby," he crooned into her ear. "We can handle this. No one needs to know."

"But Colonel..." she sniffed, trying in vain to wipe her eyes with one trembling hand.

"Make that Jack! Please call me by my first name when we're alone like this," he insisted. He felt Sam nod her head as his hands roamed over her backside, squeezing her perfect butt before giving it a little pat. He wanted to do more than just touch it, but that would have to wait until another time.

"I'll try. It's just so hard..." she whispered.

"It will be. Hard, that is, if we stay like this much longer," he chuckled. Come on. Let's get dressed, and I'll take you home. You're supposed to be taking some time off, remember?"

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four

Back in the infirmary General Hammond had arrived to talk to Captain Carter. After telling him about her daughter and her attempts to find a matching donor, the General bowed his head. He wanted to help the woman...he really did! But there was no way he could sanction two of his officers having a...a what? An affair? A one night fling in order to conceive a child? He finally had to tell her as much.

"I'm sorry, Captain Carter, I just don't see how we can help you. I'm sure Doctor Frasier has explained to you about our fraternization regulations?"

"Yes, she has," she said a sigh. "I guess this is it then. I may as well go home. Katie will be wondering why I've been gone for so long," she told them, a tear falling on her pillow as she curled up on her side. "I haven't seen my baby for almost three weeks, and I really miss her!" she sobbed.

"I'm very sorry, young lady," he told her. Then he patted her gently on the shoulder before following Dr. Frasier to her office.

Hammond still had some questions, but he knew the patient wasn't up to answering them just now, so he decided to ask Dr. Frasier what she knew about the unsettling situation.

"Doctor, did Captain Carter explain why it is that she's alone in her efforts to save her little girl?"

"Yes, she said that while several members of her SGA science team had volunteered to join her, her CO would not approve sending untrained civilians through the gate. He also claimed he is disobeying a direct order from his President just by allowing her these few trips to search for a cure for her daughter. Samantha says their President has ordered that the program be shut down as quickly as possible. When she left, they still had a few teams off world, but she has no idea what the situation is as of today.

"I see. That is unfortunate, but I don't see how we can afford to help them."

"No, Sir. I agree. General, I didn't want to bring this up in front of Captain Carter, but there are a couple of other alternatives that we could consider. I wanted to run them by you first, before I speak to Sam and Jack," Janet told him. The General looked very tired, as he finally sat down in one of the two chairs facing her desk. Janet sunk into her chair, glad to be off her feet for a bit.

"What alternatives, Doctor?"

"Well, the first one is using the Colonel as a sperm donor."

General Hammond looked at her curiously. He had heard the term before, but having been brought up two generations before her, he wasn't certain just how this new-fangled stuff worked!

"What procedures would you use?" he asked, trying to sound as knowledgeable as possible. Talking about sex, even as clinically as this, made this older man very uneasy.

"I would extract several ovum from Captain Carter and sperm from Col. O'Neill. One of the successfully fertilized eggs would then be placed inside Captain Carter...as soon as she's recovered enough from her wounds, of course. Then she could go back home, or she could remain here until she's in her second trimester, just to be on the safe side," Janet explained.

"What do you mean, by safe side?" the General asked.

"Well, if she went back and something went wrong...like say she aborted the fetus before the cells were viable, she might not be allowed to return here to try the procedure again. As I understand it, her CO told her this was the last time she could use the gate for her own personal reasons."

"Ah, yes. I understand. But you said there was more than one alternative?"

"Yes. I could use pretty much the same procedure. Only instead of taking ovum from Captain Carter, I could take it from Sam. And either she or Captain Carter could carry the fetus to term. General, the reason I even suggest that Sam do this is because I know how she feels about Col. O'Neill. I think it would hurt her a great deal to know that her other self...or whatever you want to call her...would be conceiving a child with the man she loves, even if it happened by artificial means!"

"Yes, I see your point. I also doubt very much that Major Carter would give up a child of her own, no matter who the father was."

"Yes, I think you're right."

General Hammond rose slowly from the chair. He felt beat, and he suspected she did too. "You have my permission to speak to Major Carter and Col. O'Neill about this. But it can wait until morning." Janet nodded. "If they agree, I will speak to the President. However, I don't have any idea what he'll say. This is very unorthodox, to say the least. So don't say anything about any of this to Captain Carter until we have everyone's approval," Hammond ordered.

"I won't, General. And thank you for even considering any of this."

The next morning at a few minutes before nine, Sam was waiting for Janet and Jack to arrive at her house. Janet had called and said she needed to talk to them, but she'd rather do it off base. Sam had been afraid to ask why she needed to talk to them, and now she was as nervous as a kitten, wondering if Janet had somehow found out about what they had done. And if she had, would she feel obligated to tell the General? Sam's stomach roiled at the thought of having to face a very angry and disappointed George Hammond, who had become like a second father to her.

She sat at her kitchen table, staring down into her second cup of tea, her thoughts going back to the night before. Jack had brought her home, and then she had insisted he leave. He had wanted to stay...to talk he had said. But Sam had been certain they'd wind up in bed together, and she was just not ready for that yet. She was still having a very hard time justifying what they had done in the shower, and so she had driven him away with promises to phone him. She knew he had probably been up since sunrise, just as he usually was, and she hadn't slept much herself. But she still hadn't phoned him, and then Janet had called and said he would be meeting her there.

Sam got up and put the tea kettle on, figuring that maybe Janet would drink a cup of tea. She knew Jack didn't like tea, and she didn't have any beer in the house. Her stomach tossed again, just from thinking about drinking a beer this early in the morning. She peered into her refrigerator, searching for something she could offer him. A carton of orange juice with an expired date sat on the back of the top shelf. It might still be safe to drink. She was about to take it out and taste it, when the doorbell rang.

Sam opened the front door and was not surprised to find Jack standing there, his hands behind his back. He was dressed in civvies...a long-sleeved, blue plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up above his elbows and the front hanging open, a white t-shirt under it, a pair of khaki shorts and brown leather sandals. His molasses eyes had a very frightened look in them, as though he was worried she might shoot him, or at the very least, tell him to get lost.

"Hi! I brought you these," Jack said, whipping out his hands toward her, much like a small boy bringing gifts to his first grade teacher. One hand held a box of chocolates, and the other a long-stemmed red rose. Sam took the gifts and stepped back to let him enter.

"Come in! Janet should be here any minute," she said nervously, as she headed toward the back of the small house. Jack closed the door and followed her, feeling equally nervous. He hadn't brought anyone flowers and candy in a long while...not since Sara...and he hoped he'd done the right thing. He stood in the middle of the large room and watched as Sam went to the cabinets and opened a door, taking out a tall vase. Then she filled it at the kitchen faucet and put the flower in it.

"I should have gotten a whole bunch. It looks kind of lonely," Jack said apologetically.

"No! It looks beautiful!" she said as she looked up at him with sparkling eyes...eyes that he could see were near to crying. He'd made her cry? That wasn't at all the emotion he was going for.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry," he said, reaching out to touch the back of her hand as it rested on the vase. A single tear had sneaked from under her lashes and fell on his hand. He lifted his other hand and wiped the moisture from her cheek, stepping around the end of the kitchen counter to get closer to her, and that was when the door bell rang. They both jumped.

"That must be Janet," Sam said, and she darted out of the room to answer it. Jack just stood there feeling awkward. What did Janet want to talk to them about? Did Sam already know? Was that why she was so upset? He turned around as both women walked into the room. Sam led them to the sofa and asked them to sit down. They did, but she remained standing, too nervous to sit still.

"Janet, would you like a cup of tea? I was just going to have some," Sam said, as she walked toward the kitchen area.

"No, thanks. I've already had too much caffeine this morning. I was up at the crack of dawn. Siler dropped that darned wrench on his foot again," she said with a chuckle.

Sam smiled and Jack shook his head, but neither of them could really concentrate on anything else but why Janet wanted to talk to them. Janet could tell they were anxious, so she decided to cut to the chase.

"Sit down, Sam. I have something very serious to talk to you about." Sam went to the chair facing the sofa and sat down, her hands clasped in her lap. She thought she knew why Janet wanted to talk to them, and the thought made her blood run cold.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five

Jack was fidgeting more than usual, tearing the pages of a magazine that lay across his lap. And Sam was wringing her hands, and tapping one foot on the floor. Janet could see how nervous her two friends were, and it looked like Sam had been crying! Janet had no idea why she would be upset or why they were both acting like two school children who had been called into the principal's office. It was almost as though they knew what she was about to ask them, but that just didn't make any sense! Suddenly she wondered if she was doing the right thing. Would it be inappropriate for her to even ask them to consider either of these options? And actually one option just concerned the Colonel, so perhaps Sam shouldn't even be privy to that? Now Janet wasn't so certain she should be doing this.

"Janet, go ahead. Tell us. Whatever it is, we're ready to hear it, aren't we, Sam," Jack affirmed.

"Yes, I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Sam said with a half laugh, and then she bit her bottom lip to keep it from quivering. 'God, please don't let me cry now,' she thought to herself.

"Okay, although I have to admit that I'm having second thoughts about this," Janet confided. "But here goes. As you know, Captain Carter's daughter needs cells from a sibling. There are still two ways that you can help her. Actually one way involves just you, Colonel, although I have a feeling that Sam might have some pretty strong feelings about what I'm going to suggest."

"I don't understand, Janet. How can I help her?" Jack asked, the familiar feeling of confusion wafting over him once again. Sam sat forward in her chair, her hands suddenly motionless. What was Janet talking about and why would she have strong feelings about it?

"You've heard on invitro fertilization, haven't you, Colonel?" She knew Sam had heard of it, and now she looked over at Sam to see her reaction. As she suspected, Sam's face turned as white as a sheet.

"Yah, I think I do. It's what they used to call test tube babies."

"Yes, that's basically right. It's when an egg is fertilized outside the mother's uterus, using the male's sperm and the female's ovum," Janet said nodding. "Then the embryo is placed in the mother's womb, and she carries it to term just like any other baby. The chances of a failure are much less than with artificial insemination. And since time is of the essence, it would be the way to proceed in this instance. If the Colonel agrees, that is."

"But Janet, what about me? I would have to agree as well."

"No, Sam, you wouldn't. This involves using Captain Carter's ovum. Once the embryo was implanted in her womb, she could return to her universe almost right away." Janet saw Sam's mouth fall open in shock. Obviously Sam hadn't thought of that possibility. Janet looked at Jack, who was staring intensely at Sam.

"Janet, I think..." he began, but Sam cut him off, her voice cracking as she tried to contain her emotions.

"Go ahead! Do whatever you want to do! It's your sperm. I've got no claim on you!" Sam stated as she sprang up out of the chair. She went over to the stove and turned on the gas, setting the tea kettle on the burner.

Janet looked at Jack who also rose out of his chair. She could tell he wanted to say something to Sam, but he was reluctant to do so...probably because she was there. This was tearing her friends apart, and she was the cause of it. She had to hurry before whatever existed between them was ruined forever.

Janet stood up and turned to face her friends. "But wait! Let me tell you about my other idea! It involves using your ovum Sam, and your sperm, Colonel. Again I would recommend we use the invitro method. And of course we have to get the President's approval. By the way, if you agree, General Hammond is willing to speak to the President on your behalf," Janet told them, talking so fast that she almost ran out of breath.

Jack walked over to Sam and stood across the counter from her, keeping his back to Janet. Janet could hear him quietly speaking to Sam, but she couldn't understand what he was saying. Sam looked up at him and nodded, tears glistening in her eyes. Then he walked around to the other side and stood behind Sam. Janet was shocked when he kissed Sam on the top of her head and slid his arm around her waist.

"What I was going to say was, I think you should give Sam a blood test first to see if she's pregnant. If she is, that would save a lot of time," Jack said, and Janet collapsed onto the arm of the sofa.

"What! Pregnant? How? When?" The words came spewing out of Janet's mouth. She felt as though someone had just told her that the stargate program didn't exist, or that the moon was really made of Swiss cheese!

"How? The usual way. When? Yesterday, about eleven hours ago to be exact," Jack told her. When Janet's brown eyes met Sam's blue ones, Sam nodded.

"I'm sorry to drag you into this mess, Janet," Sam said, and then she started to cry. Jack turned her around and wrapped her in his arms. Janet thought it was the most touching and most wonderful sight she'd ever witnessed, and so she began to cry too.

After the girls had a good cry, Jack made them a cup of tea. While they drank it, he had an orange juice. Jack and Sam sat side-by-side on the sofa, and Janet took the chair that Sam had vacated.

"I can't tell you how wonderful I think this is, you two," Janet enthused.

"But Janet, we could both lose our careers! And Jack could go to prison," Sam groaned.

"Don't worry, sweetie," Janet told her friend. You probably aren't pregnant. But even if you are, I would never tell anyone about the two of you!" Sam breathed a noticeable sigh of relief.

All three of them sat quietly for a few minutes, each deep in their own thoughts. Janet's mind whirled with the possibilities. As her doctor, no one knew more about Sam's physical idiosyncrasies than Janet. Sam simply couldn't take hormones, so birth control pills and the patch were out. Finally, figuring that there wasn't much chance that Sam would get pregnant anyway, Janet had signed off on permission for her to carry what was commonly called 'the morning after pill', just in case. Sam had told her she'd never take the damned thing, unless she was certain the baby would have two heads, a tale and green skin, and now this was happening! Well, at least it was Col. O'Neill who was the culprit and not some alien entity! Janet's mind wrestled with the problem for a bit more, and then she told them what she thought.

"If you ARE pregnant, I think you should keep it quiet as long as possible. You can put in for a transfer...remove yourself from the Colonel's chain of command and lay low for a while...until you figure out what to do. I can fudge on your due date a bit...make it seem like you got pregnant at a later date. That way no one will think that Jack is the father. You can claim the baby belongs to someone you met at your new location. Someone you dated for a while. It isn't a crime to be pregnant, you know, and they can't kick you out of the Air Force for it. Say, isn't Area 51 always looking for scientists? With your knowledge and experience, I bet they'd be as pleased as punch to get you."

Jack had to admit that Janet had certainly put some thought into this, but he didn't much care for her idea. Sam leaving the SGC didn't appeal to him at all! But what would Sam think about it? He had his answer in Sam's very next remark.

"But I don't want to be separated from Jack," Sam said, tears brimming her lower lids once again. 'My God,' Sam thought, 'I'm becoming an emotional cripple!' Sam sucked in a breath and forced herself to turn off the water works. She needed to remain strong for both their sakes.

"You don't?" He was very relieved to hear it. They hadn't even had time to talk about their feelings, and already they were contemplating separation, and that just plain sucked!

Sam just shook her head violently. This was just too much! She intended to stay here with Jack, even if they had to face the consequences of their actions. She was about to say so, when he made an announcement.

"Sam's not going anywhere!" Jack stated with conviction. "I'm gonna retire...for real this time. I almost did it once before, so no one will be too surprised if I do it now."

"Oh, Jack, I can't let you do that!" Sam said, squeezing his hand as it lay in her lap, clutched in both her hands.

"Yes, you can, Major, and you will. And that's an order. So, here's the deal; I'll retire, Sam will get pregnant and we'll be able to help Captain Carter save her little girl's life, and I'll stay home and take care of the kids."

"Kids? We don't even know if I'm pregnant yet," Sam reminded him.

"If you're not, we'll just keep trying till you are," he said with a wink. Janet smiled and looked down at the floor. Suddenly she was feeling like the fifth wheel on the bus.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

Jack had been as good as his word. The following day he had filed his request for retirement and separation from the U.S.A.F. General Hammond hadn't been very happy about it, but Jack knew there was really nothing the man could do. They were both aware that Jack had devoted thirty years of his life in service to his country, and he more than deserved to spend the rest of his life however he saw fit.

Sam was working in her lab when Jack came in to tell her that he had followed through on his promise. She had news for him as well, and she wasn't sure what effect it would have on him.

"It looks like you could have waited," she said almost cheerfully, trying to hide her disappointment. She didn't want him to feel obligated in any way toward her, so maybe this was for the best.

"Why wait?" Jack asked, glancing up at the security camera, before sliding a hand up under her long-sleeved BDU shirt, to rub her back through her black t-shirt. It wasn't as good as skin on skin, but it was better than nothing. Plus it was a lot more than he'd gotten in the past. He had come to her lab every day for years just to see her pretty face. She had always told him to stop touching things. 'She's not telling me that NOW, so I must have done something right,' he thought smugly. Jack rubbed her back in circles and then ran one finger down her spine. Sam shivered involuntarily.

"Because Janet says I'm not pregnant. You may have retired for nothing," she told him. The news from the doctor was not what she'd been praying for, but she didn't let on, just in case Jack was feeling trapped and wanted out.

"That just means we have to try harder, that's all. What d'ya say we try tonight?" Jack asked, pulling his hand out from under her shirt. Then he moved to stand on the opposite side of the lab table with his back to the camera. Now he was facing Sam, but she wouldn't look up at him, and that made him nervous.

"Sam? Sam, what's wrong?" he asked quietly.

"I don't think you should be doing this." Okay, now he was VERY nervous!

"Do what? Retire?"

"Yes. You're too valuable an asset to the SGC. I'm sure the Joint Chiefs and the President won't be happy about it. What did General Hammond say?" she asked. She suspected she knew exactly what he'd said, and she couldn't blame him; the loss of Colonel O'Neill would be a big blow to the program. Finding someone to replace him on SG-1 would not be easy. And General Hammond would no doubt feel the loss of Jack as his second-in-command as well. There was just too much at stake here for him to leave!

"Hammond wouldn't let me leave, if he had his way," he admitted. "But he knows it's ultimately my choice."

"Then don't do it, Jack. Don't retire!"

"But what about us? What about having kids with me? And what about helping Captain Carter save her daughter's life? Don't you care about any of that?" Was she just having cold feet, or had she come to her senses and seen him for the loser he really was?

"Of course I do! You can still help Captain Carter and her daughter. You can donate sperm, so she can have a sibling for Katie," Sam said, and Jack's heart actually hurt, when she didn't say anything about the two of them being together. Jack knew he would lose her right then and there, unless he did something fast! For a man who wasn't good with words, particularly words that expressed his feelings, he surprised both of them.

Leaning over the lab table toward her, he poured his heart out. "Damn it, Sam, I am not giving you up now! I want to marry you. I want to have kids with you, and spend the rest of my life with you. I love you, damn it, and I don't want us to spend another night apart!" he swore, his voice much louder than he had intended. His heart was hammering in his chest. It felt as though it might explode. His hands gripped the edge of the table until his knuckles turned white. It was either that, or throw her down on the damned table and make love to her...right there in front of God and everyone!

"You want to marry me?" she asked in a quavering voice.

"Of course I want to marry you! What the hell did you think? ...that I just wanted to shack up with you?"

"Well, I..." She hated to admit it, but she hadn't been sure what his intentions were. Now she felt silly for worrying. She knew that Jack wasn't good at expressing his feelings, and she should have realized he was proposing marriage and not just suggesting they have an affair or simply live together.

"My God, Sam, I guess I totally screwed up, didn't I? I'm an idiot, and I know I don't deserve someone as wonderful as you, but... Will you marry me?" he asked, taking her hand in his. He probably shouldn't touch her like this on camera, but right now he didn't give a flying fuck! He could tell by the tears in her eyes that he had already upset her. Now all he could do was pray that this would be enough to show her how much he truly cared!

"Yes, Jack, I will. But first you must take back your request to retire. I've thought of a better plan."

His heart rate had slowed down a bit upon hearing her acceptance of his proposal, but he was still very upset. He had made such a fool of himself! Why couldn't his personal relationships be as easy to manage as one of his missions? He let go of the counter and ran his hands through his hair, mussing it even further.

"A better plan? What plan? Jack couldn't imagine Hammond approving any plan where he would be allowed to keep his job and also marry his second-in-command, unless that plan also involved court-martialing his sorry ass! Sam's reply surprised him and made him love her even more.

Well, Sam had surprised Jack all right, and two weeks later the two of them were on a beach in Puerto Rico, under the noon day sun...

"How much convincing did it take to sell Hammond on you quitting the Air Force and starting your own freelance consulting firm?" he asked as he smoothed on the sunscreen lotion on Sam's freckled shoulders. They were sitting on large towels on a deserted stretch of beach, miles from their hotel. The cries of sea gulls and the surf were the only sounds they could hear.

"Not that much really. He said he had seen this 'thing', as he called it, growing between us for years, and so he had talked over various possibilities with the President over a year ago, just in case we decided we couldn't live with the regs any longer. Actually it was the President's suggestion that I be hired on as a civilian to run various experiments on alien technologies. The consulting firm was my idea. Did I ever tell you that I have an associates degree in business management?" Sam asked, and Jack just shook his head in wonder. There were still a lot of things he didn't know about this incredible woman, and he couldn't wait to discover each and every one of them.

"You never fail to amaze me, Sam." But he wasn't really surprised. There seemed to be nothing this woman couldn't do and do well. The million dollar contract, the President and the Joint Chiefs had offered her for one year of her services, was just icing on the cake of her perfection.

"Why thank you, Sir." she responded with a teasing grin, and then she leaned over and kissed him on the lips. They had spent the last two weeks taking care of business, so they could get away from the SGC for a one week honeymoon. And yesterday afternoon they had been married by the base chaplain at Peterson Air Force Base in the small chapel, with Janet, Cassie, Daniel, Teal'c, and General Hammond in attendance. Sam's father, Jacob, had not been able to attend, but he had sent his best wishes by way of the Tok'ra high council. His less than volatile reaction had surprised both Sam and Jack. Jack just hoped that Jacob was not plotting some huge revenge on Jack for the next time he came to Earth.

Jack thought Sam was the prettiest bride he'd ever seen, as she stood next to him in an off-white, silk suit with a pale, pink camisole underneath. Jack had worn his dress blue uniform with all of his medals and ribbons pinned on it, and Sam thought he was the most handsome man she'd ever seen.

When they got home, he would have to face the selection of his new 2iC on SG-1. But right now all Jack had to worry about was keeping his bride happy, and that was one assignment that Col. Jack O'Neill didn't mind one bit. After taking a quick look around and deciding they really were alone, Jack snuggled up next to Sam, who was now laying face down on the towel.

He pulled her into his arms, so that she was on her side, and put both his arms around her. One of his big hands quickly insinuated itself into her bathing suit top, where it cupped a round, soft breast, while his other hand flattened over her tummy to hold her still for his attack.

"Jaaack," she whined, "what are you doing?" She knew exactly what he was after…wasn't there a public indecency law here too?

"I'm making love to my wife," he said as his he began leaving wet kisses on the back of her neck and shoulders, while his hand began to knead her breast and pinch her nipple. Then he switched hands and attacked the other breast. Sam giggled and wriggled in his arms.

"That's what I suspected. But Jack, aren't you worried someone might see us?" she asked, jerking slightly when she felt his lips on that certain spot under her left ear. "Oh, God," she drooled. He knew exactly where to touch her to turn her on.

"Nope. Just relax, honey. I already did a recon of the area. There are no targets within five miles," he assured her. "Besides, I asked the concierge which beach would give us the most privacy," he informed her truthfully.

"Oh, you DID, did you! Well, sometimes you amaze me too!" Sam chuckled deep in her throat, a sound that drove Jack wild with desire for her...not that almost everything about her didn't drive him wild. To Jack everything Sam did was exciting, wonderful, and arousing...even her techno-speak turned him on! He had spent many a briefing listening to Carter talk about one of her gadgets or gizmos, and before he knew it, his groin had felt like a star about to go super nova!

"I amaze you?" he asked as one of his hands dipped down into her bikini bottom, unerringly locating her clit and beginning to circle it with repetitive movements, that soon had her hips mimicking the motions of his hand.

"Ummmm," she replied, her desire for him over-ruling her better judgment. "Jaaack, pleeease, fuck me," she pleaded, as she pressed herself into his hand.

"Now look who wants to get us in trouble with Puerto Rican authorities for a lewd act on a public beach?" he teased her as he nibbled her earlobe.

"I don't give a damn! Just do it, or..."

"Or what," he asked as she opened her legs wider and he slipped his hand down further, shoving two fingers at once into her vagina. Sam gasped at the feel of them stretching her...pulling at her sensitive flesh. They had spent most of last night making love, and she was a bit sore, but even so Sam couldn't get enough of him!

"Or else I'll castrate you!" she lied. Only a foolish woman would do that, she thought to herself. But Jack continued to toy with her, kissing her neck and shoulders as his fingers hooked behind her pubic bone, gently massaging her G-spot. She was in over-stimulated, and she knew that only his big, hard cock could take her to the place she wanted to be. And so she tried one more fervent plea.

"Oh, hell, Jack, will you please just do it!" she groaned. Never able to resist her pleas for very long, Jack removed both his hands from her bathing suit. Pushing her onto her tummy, he began tugging the bottom of her suit down over her butt. Sam lifted her hips, helping him rid her of the tiny scrap of hot pink fabric. Then he nudged her left leg up and out to the side with his knee, opening her for his penetration.

Jack used his left hand to guide the tip of his erection into her, while his other arm was under her, his hand flat against her belly, lifting her toward him. When the glans of his penis slipped past her entrance, Sam flinched a bit, just as she always did. He was big and it always took a few thrusts before she could accept all of him. But once he was deep inside her, there was nothing she loved more than being fucked by Jack O'Neill.

"What do you want, Sam?" he asked. "Tell me, Sam," he ordered. He had discovered only recently that hearing Sam Carter talk dirty was the most erotically stimulating thing in this world or any other.

"I want you to fuck me with that big cock of yours! And don't be gentle. Fuck me hard! Pull it out and then slam into my pussy with all you've got! And rub my clit. Rub it fast, make me come, flyboy," she commanded, and Jack did as she requested, ramming his steel-hard, nine-inch projectile into her from behind...over and over again...until his heart was hammering in his chest and he was covered in perspiration. Jack shifted his hips about, giving them a little roll with each thrust, and he was rewarded each time by a whimper from Sam.

Sam was taking longer to climax than usual, but Jack intended to hold out until she came. Figuring her clit was probably sore from all of their recent activities, he pulled her up onto her knees, the new angle allowing him to hit her G-spot with each inward thrust. It wasn't long before he felt her legs and back stiffen and her vaginal muscles start to pull at his sensitive shaft. Suddenly, Sam arched her neck and threw her head back, letting out a cry that would have awakened the dead. Then her body went limp.

Confident that Sam was happy and satisfied, Jack finally relinquished his hold on the control he had been maintaining for her sake. Plunging himself into her warm willing body, Jack came almost immediately, filling her with his seed.

Afterward Sam dashed into the surf, where she rinsed their combined juices from her thighs. Then she pulled on her bathing suit bottom and spooned up against Jack, who wrapped his arms protectively around her and let out a long, exhausted sigh. Being married, to someone as young and as physically fit as Sam Carter, was probably gonna end his life prematurely, but right now he didn't give a rat's ass.

TBC

AN: I hope you will read my new e-book, WHAT THE HEART WANTS. Publication date: Feb 17, 2014. Available for pre-order at lsbooks .com.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven

Back at the SGC, all was not as it should have been. After one week of marriage to Sam, Jack was not dead, but he had managed to throw his back out and re-injure his right knee.

Daniel and Teal'c were signing in at the security check point, when they heard an airman talking to the man on duty about Colonel O'Neill being in the infirmary. The man recognized Jack's two teammates and tried to hide his grin, but it was too late.

"What' wrong with Col. O'Neill?" Daniel asked with concern and a great deal of curiosity. Why would anyone find humor in Jack being injured or sick?

"Sorry, I meant no disrespect. Please don't report me," the young airman begged.

"I won't, if you tell me what's wrong with Jack," he said.

"He hurt his back and his knee...bon his honeymoon/b!" the man choked out, unable to keep from laughing.

"I don't see why you find that so funny!" Daniel told the man. "Stop loitering here and go do whatever it is you're supposed to be doing!" Daniel yelled at the man in the most commanding voice he could muster. "And don't let me hear you talking about Col. O'Neill that way ever again!"

The man said something to his friend and waved, before getting into the elevator that would take him to the surface. Daniel and Teal'c got into the elevator that went down to the lower levels, where the SGC was headquarters. As soon as the doors closed, both men burst into a fit of laughter that ended only when the doors opened again twenty-some levels below.

Sam had been hoping they could help save little Katie's life. And if trying counted, then they had certainly done their part...up until now, that is. Somehow the child seemed to be connected to her and Jack, even though they hadn't even met her, and both of them wanted desperately to help her. They also wanted desperately to get pregnant. But now, with Jack laid up, there was little hope that they would succeed any time soon She sat on the foot of his bed, massaging his foot, which kept falling asleep due to the removable cast he was wearing on his right leg.

Captain Carter was in the bed at the opposite end of the room from his, but even so, Sam could hear her quietly crying. Just then Janet came in to begin her morning rounds. She could do without a grouchy Colonel just now, since her morning coffee had not kicked in yet. But he was one of her patients too, so she decided to get him out of the way first.

"So, Colonel, how are you feeling this morning?" she asked as cheerfully as she could.

"Terrible! How long do I have to lay here flat on my back like this?"

"Colonel, you remember what I told you last night. I hated to do this to you, but I knew it was the only way to keep you from making matters worse. The bed rest will be good for you."

"How long?" Jack whined.

"For at least one week," Janet stated firmly.

"Arggghhh! But..."

"No buts, Colonel! My word is final!"

"Yes, mon commandante," Jack said derisively. He usually called her 'Little Napoleon", just never to her face. Sam tried to give Jack a cross look but couldn't stop from bursting into giggles, which she tried unsuccessfully to hide behind her hand.

"And Sam, I expect you to see to it that Col. O'Neill remains as quiet as possible. No jostling or wiggling about. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" Sam nodded her head vigorously. Janet knew these two had been going at it like bunnies since their marriage, and she was afraid that even Jack's aches and pains might not slow them down much. She'd have to make sure her night duty nurses kept a close eye on the Colonel and his bride, or Jack would wind up in surgery. He'd probably end up there one day anyway, but hopefully for now bed rest would be enough.

"Yes, Janet, perfectly! I promise to keep Jack in bed...er...flat on his back...oh! Well, you know what I mean!" Sam blushed and laughed openly. Even Jack couldn't help but smile, although he tried to hide his amused expression by turning his head away.

"I have a free bed right next to Jack's, so you can spend the night, Sam. My nurses will be here when I'm not, just in case anything arises," she said, glancing pointedly at his groin area. Neither Sam nor Jack replied, as two sets of eyes deliberately avoided hers. "I'll check in with you later. Right now I've got to check Samantha's wounds."

Janet had taken to calling Capt. Carter 'Samantha', to differentiate her from Sam. She thought that in some ways the longer name fit the visitor from another universe, much more than it fit her friend. Samantha was more restrained... more proper in her mannerisms, as though her military mind controlled her every word and gesture. Janet thought it ironic, therefore, that she was the one who was a mother and not Sam.

"Janet, how is she doing?" Sam asked quietly, touching her friend's arm to draw her aside.

"Physically she is ready to be released from the infirmary, but mentally... I don't think there's anything more any of us can do for her, Sam. She has to be the one to make up her mind whether or not to give up and return to her world."

"And she knows she may never get another chance to help her daughter, if she does! Oh, God, Janet, I feel so awful that I haven't been able to help her!"

"It's not your fault, Sam, and it's certainly not hers. She's done everything that she can to help save her child. As a mother that's all any of us can do," Janet told her, patting her arm.

After Janet left the ward, Sam decided to go and talk to Samantha. She knew an apology wasn't going to change anything, but she still felt she owed it to her alternate self, just as she would any human being she had failed to help.

"Hi. I don't mean to intrude, but..."

"No! It's okay. Really! I've spent too much time feeling sorry for myself lately. It's time I faced facts; I need to go home and spend time with my little girl...whatever time she has left." Sam just stood there thinking for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. But then her mind honed in on something she had meant to discuss with the woman, before her personal life had gotten in the way. 

"Captain, you said that your CO could not allow you to use the gate for your own personal needs any longer, and that when you get home, you won't be allowed to use it, in order to search for a solution to your daughter's problem. Is that correct?"

"Yes. Why?"

"What if we...Jack and I...went back with you to your universe." Samantha opened her mouth to speak, but Sam waved her off. "Wait! I know exactly what you're going to say, but let me finish first. Surely your government would not keep us prisoners, right? They'd send us back?" Sam asked.

"Yes, I believe they would. We are a very humane race, just like yourselves, but..."

This time Sam held up one hand palm out, interrupting her double once again.

"I would like to learn first hand just how you managed to use the gate to access parallel universes, and while we were there, Colonel O'Neill and I could continue to work on solving Katie's problem. Jack and I really want children, and we intend to keep trying, even if he has to be flat on his back to do it," Sam chuckled, and Samantha laughed hard, until tears rolled down her face. It was the first time that Sam had seen her double laugh, and it made her feel good to know she was responsible, even if it was at Jack's expense.

"I think it's an idea that my government would feel is worth the risk. I'm sure there are many things that we could learn from one another, and I could monitor Katie's condition much better than I've been able to lately. I guess that's one reason I'm sort of eager to return home, even without the help she needs. You can't imagine how much I miss her! And with Jack being gone..." She glanced down toward the far end of the room before averting her eyes.

"I can't imagine what you are going through," Sam told her honestly. "Now that the colonel and I are together, I don't ever want to be separated from him," Sam admitted. "I'll go and talk to him about my idea right now. If he's willing, we'll speak to the general today!" Sam told her.

At first Jack had been totally against her risking her life in this manner. "Sam, you said it yourself, the number of alternate realities is limitless! Think of how many of your doubles could be in need of our help right now, for one reason or another. We can't help them all!"

"I know that, and I don't intend to try! Not all of those people are asking for our help. She IS! All I'm asking, Jack, is that we go there for a little while. Who knows...maybe it won't take long for me to get pregnant," she reminded him.

"No, it might not, but then we have to stay there until the cells are mature enough. And they might even have to try the procedure more than once, and even then it might not be successful. Isn't that what she said?" Jack wasn't up on all of this scientific stuff, but he understood enough of it to know that it was not foolproof.

"Yes, that's true. But I really want to do this, Jack," Sam insisted.

Jack knew when Sam Carter's mind was made up, and this was one of them. So he'd leave the final decision up to General Hammond, and pity poor George, if he disagreed with Carter.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter eight

Jack had been watching the two Carters closely as they worked on Sam's laptop, trying to figure out the exact time of day the wormhole would need to be established, as well as figuring in what the planetary alignment would be on any given day. Currently they were hoping for Saturday as their day of departure. For the past twenty-four hours, since General Hammond had okayed their little adventure, Jack had been watching and listening to the two women talk dirty...or so it seemed to his libido. It was sort of like listening to Samantha Carter Surround Sound in living techno-babble, with high definition visuals as an added bonus!

"Nine symbols! But the computer dialing program was only written for seven!" Sam shouted, throwing up her hands in exasperation.

"Yes, I know, but the other two are necessary to send the signal outside our galaxy and to bounce it back again, at just the right minute, to my universe. Don't worry, I can re-write your program to accommodate the two additional addresses, just like I did with ours," Samantha assured her.

The two women had been sitting on Samantha's infirmary bed with their heads together, and Jack had been enjoying the show...so much so that his imagination had finally taken control, and he had begun to fantasize about being alone with the two beautiful blondes. The difference between reality and his imagination was that in his fantasy they weren't tapping away on a keyboard or babbling away about computer programs; they were using their lovely digits and mouths on his body instead!

He was squirming a bit, trying to rearrange his swelling cock and aching balls to a more comfortable position, when he felt a twinge in the muscle in his lower back. Damn it! He was yanked back to reality rather abruptly, but somehow he managed not to cry out in pain. But the experience had put him in a very foul mood, which was no surprise to his visitors. Just then Daniel came strolling in with Teal'c following closely behind.

"Hi, Jack! How's it goin today?" the young archaeologist asked, smiling behind his wire-framed glasses.

"What do YOU think, Daniel? I can't move from this position, my butt is getting numb, and now there are two...count 'em TWO beautiful women over there taunting me!" Jack complained.

"I'm sorry you're in pain, but I hardly think it's their intention to taunt you, Jack," Daniel chastised him. "Is there anything I can get you?" he asked, and Jack just harumphed and turned his head away. Daniel quickly left Jack's bedside and walked over to the two women. "Say, have you girls figured out that calculation yet?" Daniel asked eagerly. He and Teal'c had volunteered to go along. Daniel figured it would be a great opportunity to study another reality, and Teal'c certainly didn't want to be left out.

"Not quite, but we're getting there. Jack has to remain in bed for a few more days anyway," she reminded him, glancing over to her husband, who gave her his most pathetic expression. In return Sam blew him a kiss, and he pretended to catch it in one hand. "We'll be ready by the time Jack is," Sam assured him.

Jack knew that Hammond had offered to assign Teal'c temporarily to another SG team, but the big guy had declined. He wanted to be sure that his friend was not going along because he thought he had to watch his back.

"T, you sure you don't wanna go with Major Randal's team to P3X-214?"

"I am certain, O'Neill."

"I was almost wishing I could go with him, because I hear they've made friends with the locals, and the girls are all built like..." Jack was drawing an hourglass shape in the air with his hands, but he stopped when he felt two sets of Carter eyes focusing on him. "What?! You tell me you never noticed handsome men when we went off world?" Jack asked, staring at Sam.

"I didn't say anything, Jack," Sam said, and then she turned to Samantha and made a face. One blonde chuckled deep in her throat, while they other one giggled, which only aggravated Jack more. Laying on his back for three solid days was really starting to frazzle his nerves!

"In fact I seem to remember someone named Narim, and then there was that guy Marty," Jack stated petulantly.

"Okay, Jack, I'm sorry. Go ahead and tell Teal'c about the hot women on P3X-214. Actually, I did hear from Captain Sharon Rogers that the women are quite lovely," Sam conceded. "In her words, they made her feel like putting a bag over her head."

Everyone in the ward laughed, including SG-12 and two nurses who were giving them their pre-mission exams. And so the afternoon passed, with the two Carters making some progress on their task, and Jack griping about something or other every few minutes to whoever came into the room.

Captain Carter was released from the infirmary and assigned to guest quarters before Janet left for the day. After they bid Mr. and Mrs. O'Neill good-night, Daniel and Teal'c escorted Samantha to dinner in the commissary. She was still on crutches, and her left arm was in a sling, so the guys let her pick out what she wanted to eat, while they put it on a tray and carried it to a table for her. The three sat chatting and eating companionably for almost two hours, until Samantha began to yawn.

"Oh, golly, Samantha, I'm sorry to keep you so long. You must be tired. Come on and we'll show you to your room," Daniel offered.

"I am kind of tired," she admitted. As they left the commissary, Samantha thanked them for making her feel so at home.

"It's been nice having dinner with the two of you. I've enjoyed talking to both of you! It was almost like having the Teal'c I knew back again." Both men gave her confused looks. "My Teal'c went home to be with his family last year. We haven't heard from him in many months. And if they shut down the gate permanently, I'm afraid we'll never see him again."

"That is most unfortunate," Teal'c said in his deep voice. He really liked this woman. She was noticeably different from Major Carter, but equally likable.

"And what about the other me? Is there a Dr. Daniel Jackson in your world, Samantha?" Daniel asked her as they strolled down the hallway to her quarters.

"Yes, Daniel, there is. He and his wife, Sarah Gardner-Jackson, both worked at the SGC, but they left to find employment elsewhere. We were...are very good friends. In fact, they were in our wedding. Are neither of you married?"

"My wife and son live on Chulak," Teal'c told her simply, revealing nothing of his feelings on the matter, which was so like him and like her Teal'c as well.

"And you, Dr. Jackson?"

"I was married. My wife, Sha're, was taken host by the Goa'uld who is the wife of Apophis."

"How awful for you!" Samantha cried, touching his arm affectionately. They had stopped at a door, and Daniel swiped a key card in the lock and opened the door for her.

"Well, here you are! It's not the Ritz, but I think you'll find everything you need. Janet...that is Dr. Frasier...arranged to have toiletries and some clothing brought in for you."

"I'll be sure to thank her. Good-night, Daniel, Teal'c."

"Good-night, Captain Carter. May your dreams all be peaceful ones," Teal'c said as he bowed his head.

"Good-night, Samantha."

"Good-night, Daniel. Thank you both for being so kind to me."

Back in the infirmary Jack and Sam were finally alone for the night. Jack didn't know it, but Sam had bribed the nurse to let her give Jack his sponge bath. When he saw her pushing the cart up to his bed, he lifted his head as far as he could, to see what was happening.

"What 'cha doin?" he asked.

"The nurse really wanted to watch Grey's Anatomy, so I told her I would give you your bath tonight," she told him. Actually, she didn't like the nurses giving Jack a bath, but she didn't want them or him to know how she felt. She sensed Jack's eyes following her as she pulled the privacy curtain around his bed. His head fell back, and he exhaled deeply when he saw her begin to unbutton her blouse.

"You heard what ole Napoleon said, Sam. And besides, if I have a relapse, our trip to Samantha's world will be over before it's begun!" he reminded her.

"Jack, just lay still and be quiet. I'm wearing a silk blouse that shows water stains. I simply don't want to get it wet, that's all," she told him with a chuckle.

"Oh." Well, he couldn't help it if his mind immediately thought of other, more exciting reasons why she'd be removing her blouse. After all, he hadn't had sex with his new bride for four, long days!

Sam decided to bathe the rest of him before doing his face. She'd get clean water and shave him last. And then she'd massage his backside with lotion, since all he had done earlier was complain about is itching butt. Jack laid perfectly still and let her lather his arms and chest and rinse them, all the while keeping his lower half covered with the blanket. Of course there was nothing that could prevent Jack from getting aroused, and by the time Sam got to his legs and feet, he was sporting a huge erection.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter nine

It was 22:00 and Sam was busy giving Jack a sponge bath in the infirmary. As she washed his upper legs, Sam was careful not to touch his genitals. But Jack could not control himself after four days of injury-caused abstinence. He trapped her hand under one of his, and pushed it forcefully across his thigh toward his throbbing erection. Of course he was still wearing boxer shorts, but they were tented dramatically, and Sam couldn't help but see how aroused he was.

"Jack, you seem to have a very large problem here. Maybe I should call the nurse," she asked him with a smirk.

"Call the nurse only if you want me to fuck her instead of you!" he hissed. "Or get your ass up on this bed and take me inside you. Right now!"

Sam hurriedly removed her jeans and panties before climbing onto the bed and straddling him. They carefully worked together to pull down his boxers, making certain not to jostle his back or knee. Now he was totally naked and panting for release. Sam quickly lowered herself onto his impressive erection and began to rock her hips up and down, causing his thick cock to pull and tug at her soft tissues. He barely had time to locate her clit and give it a few rubs, before he came, grunting fitfully as he squirted his life's essence into her fertile womb. Sam quickly dismounted and hopped down off the bed, intending to get dressed.

"Sam, honey, you didn't come."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it! You can make it up to me," she told him. By now Jack's semen was beginning to run down her inner thighs, so she quickly pulled on her panties and jeans and ran for the nearest restroom, which was only a few feet away. After cleaning up, she got rid of the dirty bath water, replacing it with fresh, hot water. She had never shaved a man before, but it was something she'd always wanted to try. After lathering Jack's face with his favorite shave gel, Sam began to remove his two-day growth. She worked slowly and carefully, trying not to nick his face, the skin so tan and smooth that even a woman as beautiful as her envied his complexion.

As Sam leaned over him, her breasts hung down enticingly, encased in a lacy pink, nylon bra. It wasn't regulation Jack noted, happy that she no longer had to wear those plain, cotton underwear. Her body was meant for something much prettier, he reasoned, and he was definitely enjoying seeing her in one of her newest purchases. He was also enjoying being shaved my her. It was a new experience for him too, and he loved the special attention she gave him. In fact everything he'd done with Carter since they'd become a couple had been special and wonderful.

The things they had done together on their honeymoon in Puerto Rico had been fun, exciting and gloriously romantic...from snorkeling in the clear blue water...to making love on the beach...or making love in their room, especially in that big whirpool tub. They had also gone para-sailing through the clear skies over their hotel and had taken several moonlight walks on the beach, only to wind up in each other's arms, naked in the sand. Then there was the afternoon they made love on the deck of the boat they'd rented, as they sailed on calm seas. Yes, everything with Carter was wonderful, and everything she did aroused him. And that was why, by the time she was finished shaving him, he was hard again.

He watched as she carried the pan of water away. When she got back he reminded her about his slightly numb and itchy bottom.

"I swear, if I can't get out of this bed soon, I'm gonna go bananas!" he complained as Sam kneeled on the bed behind him and carefully rolled him onto his right side. She squeezed a large amount of soothing lotion onto his toned butt. Then she used her right hand to work it in good, while her left hand gripped his hip, so he wouldn't roll all the way over. Sam thought for a second about grabbing onto his erection, since it was so very difficult to ignore. She snickered at the idea of using his hard-on like a handle, and of course Jack had to know what wicked thought had caused her to laugh.

"Nothing," she lied, not wanting to add fuel to the flames of his arousal. If she didn't end this soon, the nurse would be back to make her rounds. But apparently he wasn't worried about someone catching them in flagrante delicto!

"Sam, sweetheart, I really need help with this thing," he hissed as he grabbed her hand from his hip, tugging it down to his erection. She ran her fingers lightly up and down his shaft, and listened to him purr like a big male lion. And since Sam could never resist Jack when he needed her so badly, she lowered him gently onto his back and bent over him, taking the head of his cock into her mouth, coating it in warm saliva as she ran the tip of her tongue across the tiny slit. His hands flew to her head, fingers tangling in her soft hair as he groaned his appreciation.

"Pull your pants down, Sam. Wanna make it up to you," he urged her, and Sam let his penis slip from her mouth with a pop. She quickly slid her jeans and panties off again and took her bra off too, wondering why she had even bothered to get dressed. Once their love making sessions began, they usually lasted for hours, and it looked like this one was not going to be any different. Sam was very thankful for the privacy curtain, since the guard in the monitor room would probably be selling tickets by now, if the security cameras could have recorded this!

Once she was totally naked, Sam climbed on top of Jack, holding herself above his body on her knees and elbows, her face poised above his throbbing erection, her sex above his mouth. She felt his tongue probe between her folds, as she opened her mouth and took him in...swirling her tongue around the plumy head, before sucking in as much of him as she could. When the glans hit the back of her throat, she swallowed and managed to accept even more of his nine inches, while Jack's long, pointed tongue reached deep into her steamy cunt. His tongue swirled over the sides of her vagina, sending her muscles into spasms as they sought to trap and hold it inside.

"More! I need more," Sam hissed. "Use your fingers," she ordered him, and Jack did as she asked, shoving one, two and then three of his long digits into her, their slightly scratchy calluses catching her tender flesh as he used them to drive her closer and closer to the brink. Sam's hips were rotating and swaying now, and her pussy was drenched with salty, sticky fluids, the excess running down his fingers as well as wetting his face, and Jack knew that it wouldn't be long before she came. He just wanted to make sure it was a good, hard orgasm...one that would keep her happy for a couple of days, because he had a feeling he was gonna pay for this later...and pay dearly. Jack put his free hand in the middle of her back and pushed her hips down a bit, so her clit was precisely where he needed it to be, and then he sucked it into his mouth and bit down...not hard, but hard enough to send Sam over the edge. She came like a Claymore going off...releasing his cock from her mouth, only to bury her lips and teeth into the skin of his thigh as she screamed. Her thighs began to quiver as Jack eased her down onto his chest, so she could recover a bit before getting back to his needs.

It wasn't long before Sam had his cock in her mouth again and was working him furiously, sucking him in and letting him slip out...repeating her actions over and over again, until Jack's need for release was very great. Sam seemed to sense that he was over-stimulated and would need a little something extra in order to come this time. So she urged him to part his thighs more, before slipping her hand under his butt, one of her long fingers pressing into his puckered hole. She had learned many things about Jack of late, and one of those was that he really liked to have his prostate massaged. And that was just what she did now, inserting her middle finger deep into his ass until she located the firm little nodule down behind his balls. Using the pad of her finger she rubbed it back and forth, pressing a little harder with each pass. In just a few seconds Jack came, spilling his seed into her mouth until it ran out the corners of her lips and down her chin and neck.

Sam quickly used the sheet to wipe her face and neck, and then she got off the bed and began to get both of them redressed. While she worked Jack was totally quiet. And even though he was usually tired after they made love for this long, she was a little worried about him.

"You're in more pain now, aren't you?" He closed his eyes and she knew she was right. "Damn it, Jack, why didn't you say something? We should have stopped!"

"Needed you. Didn't want to stop," he choked out.

"Hold on, honey," she told him, once she had him dressed in his boxers and the hospital

gown. "I'll go get the nurse, so she can give you some pain meds."

"Good idea," was all he said, and Sam shook her head at their foolishness as she headed to the nurses' lounge. If they weren't careful, Jack would never be fit enough for gate travel on Saturday or any other day!

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter ten

Somehow by Friday night Jack had managed to recover sufficiently for Dr. Frasier to release him, but only after he and Sam promised to keep his activity level to a minimum. Janet had even gone so far as to order them not to use any other position when making love, except the one where Sam was on top. Jack just listened while focusing his eyes on the floor, keeping his embarrassment and disappointment to himself. He was beginning to feel like they were discussing someone who was ready for the old folks home. But at least he didn't have to lay on his back twenty-four hours a day, and for that he was thankful.

The following morning he and Sam, along with Daniel and Teal'c, accompanied Capt. Carter to her world. The trip, which lasted mere seconds longer than normal gate travel, had been uneventful, and they had arrived at the SGA amidst a flurry of guns pointed at them, until Captain Carter shouted for all weapons to be lowered. Once they were introduced to General Hammond and his second-in-command, Colonel Matt Mason (everything seemed to stop for a split second when his name was announced), the four were shown to guest quarters that appeared very much like those in their own reality...gray and boring.

In fact, other than very minor things, like that Mason guy, everything here seemed just like home, and that was a real relief to Jack O'Neill and to his wife, Sam. She had discovered only recently that, in addition to all his other idiocynrasies, Jack really didn't like changes very much at all. This had become very apparent to her on the day she had moved some of his things to a different drawer in the bathroom. After Jack had groused that he would never be able to find anything, she had put everything back in its original place.

"This is good," Jack said, looking around their home away from home. "The bathroom is on the left, just like mine at home. And the night table is on the left side of the bed, just like at home. I think I'm gonna like it here," he said, sitting down on the bed and picking up the tv remote. He flicked on the television and began to surf through the channels. Sam just shook her head at him, thinking what a child he could be when he was truly relaxed.

She wished she felt as relaxed! But in fact she was feeling slightly woozy since their trip through the gate, and so she decided to go to the bathroom and freshen up. They were finally going to meet Samantha's daughter today, and Sam was very excited about finally getting to see the little girl...a child who probably looked much like any child she and Jack would have!

But an hour later, when they met Samantha at the designated location, they were surprised to find out that Katie wasn't there at the SGA infirmary, but in a hospital in Denver! Jack wasn't so sure that going to see her was such a smart idea, and he said as much.

"You never told us she was off base!" Jack complained "I'm not so sure it's safe for us to go gallivanting around in your world."

"Jack, I think it will be safe. After all, we've been to plenty of planets were battles were being waged, and you weren't so concerned then!" Daniel reminded him.

Samantha could see that Sam and Daniel were eager to go, but Jack needed a little more persuasion. As for Teal'c, as usual he wasn't letting on how he felt.

"We decided...that is Jack and I decided...that Katie would get the best care from someone well-versed in the disease as it manifests itself in children. That's why we took her to the Children's Hospital in Denver. I assure you, it will be perfectly safe. We aren't at war with anyone...at least not a war of weapons, although the United States certainly is in an economic war with several countries. As for why we look so much alike, if anyone asks, we'll just say that Sam is my twin sister," Samantha suggested, and Sam nodded. "As for the rest of you, I don't believe we will be seeing anyone who knows your duplicate selves. But, just in case we do run into anyone who knows them...Dr. Jackson, you and Sarah have been out of the country looking for positions, and as I told you before, Teal'c, you have been on Chulac with your family."

"Okay, we'll do it. But I hope there won't be any more surprises awaiting us on this little excursion," Jack said grumpily. Sam suspected that his back was beginning to ache from being on his feet for so long on his first day out of bed, but of course he would never admit it or let any personal physical challenge keep him from carrying out a mission. The man was just too stubborn for his own good!

"I think you should stay here and rest, Jack," Sam told him, but of course he wouldn't hear of it. Where ever Sam went, he would go!

So they all went to the surface, where they boarded a military chopper for the thirty minute ride to Denver. General Hammond had told her that providing transportation, so she could get back and forth to see Katie, was the one thing he could still do for her, and they could tell she was grateful for his consideration. Samantha had tears in her eyes when she spoke about how many times he had allowed her to use the stargate in order to search for help for her daughter, how many times he'd had a chopper fly her and Katie back and forth from the hospital to the base...and how many times he had sent teams out looking for Jack, even when there were no real leads on his whereabouts. Jack thought the guy was as nice as his Hammond, and he said so, earning him a smile from both Carters.

Once at the hospital, the helicopter pilot reminded them that they would have just one hour. Captain Carter led them downstairs to the floor where Katie's ward was located. They were all asked to put on sanitary gowns and masks over their clothing. Then Samantha led them into a large room containing twenty beds, each one with an occupant.

It tore at Sam's heart to see so many sick and injured children, and even Jack was visibly moved. Daniel and Teal'c stopped along the way and spoke to several of the children, who seemed happy to have visitors, while the other three adults continued to walk toward the far end of the room. There at the end of the row stood a baby bed, and in it was one curly-haired blonde, blue-eyed, baby girl...one much smaller than any of the newcomers had expected.

When Katie O'Neill saw her mother, she called out to her, struggling at the same time to pull herself up. Samantha reached down and lifted her up, holding the baby to her chest as she kissed the child's pale, sweaty brow.

It was then that Sam realized they had never even asked Samantha how old Katie was! To her the child appeared to be not much more than a year old.

"How old is she?" Jack asked, as he moved closer. He too had been surprised by how small she was. And for some reason he couldn't explain, he felt drawn to her. Perhaps it was her resemblance to Sam, which shouldn't have been a surprise...but it was.

"She's twenty-two months, but she's small for her age. She was premature, but her doctor doesn't think that has anything to do with her having the disease. She may be small, but she's always been a fighter, haven't you, honey?" Samantha said, looking at her daughter. But Katie had heard Jack's voice and wasn't interested in talking to anyone but him!

"Daddy!" she cried, holding out her thin little arms toward Jack. Then she literally lept out of her mother's arms. Surprised by her strength and quickness, Jack still managed to catch her in mid-flight. Then he wrapped her protectively in his strong arms and held her close to his chest. She immediately settled her head against Jack's chest and put her thumb in her mouth.

"No, sweetheart, he's not your Daddy. He does look like him, though, doesn't he?" Samantha remarked, giving the child a pat on the back. Sam stepped up to him and gazed lovingly into Katie's blue eyes. The child giggled around her thumb when Sam put her index finger on the child's nose.

"I'm sorry, Colonel. I have been wondering if she remembers her father. Apparently she does. You don't mind holding her for a bit?" Captain Carter asked him, as she tried to hold back her tears. She failed and began dabbing at them with a tissue. Then she turned her back on Katie, obviously disturbed that the child might see how upset she was.

"Nah, it's no problem." Jack wasn't sure what he was feeling just now, but he knew he liked it. He moved to a rocking chair next to Katie's crib and sat down, making himself and Katie comfortable. The women began walking from bed to bed, and Samantha introduced Sam to many of the young patients, several of whom had been there even longer than Katie. Daniel was chatting with a boy of about five years of age who had a bandage around his head, and Teal'c had made friends with a girl of about eight, whose leg was in traction.

When they had made the complete tour of the big room and arrived at Katie's crib once again, Samantha sighed. "I really don't want her to spend her second birthday in here. She's been here for six months now. Oh, she's gone home from time to time, but she's spent more time here than at home...especially lately, since I've been gone. I've decided I'm going to take her home today, whether her doctor approves or not. Being here is not doing her any good," Samantha admitted reluctantly. "At first we thought maybe the doctors would find some other cure for her, but I think that's not likely to happen."

"There's still a chance that we can give you what she needs," Sam reminded her.

"Yes, I know that. But I can't expect you to stay here forever, and besides she is growing noticeably weaker with each passing week. You saw that she cannot even stand up on her own now?" Sam nodded.

Katie soon fell asleep, and Jack put her into the little bed. He and Sam stood there watching her sleep, while Samantha went to talk to her doctor. She had told them that she would most likely have to sign papers that said she was removing her daughter from the hospital, against her doctor's wishes. When she came back, she was smiling.

"Dr. Simonds agreed with me. He released her...for now."

Sam and Jack helped her gather up Katie's things and put them into a tote bag and diaper bag that Samantha had brought with her. Once they were ready to leave, they all said good-bye to the other children. Then they took the elevator up to the roof, where the helicopter was waiting for them. Snuggled in her mother's arms, Katie slept during the entire ride back to the mountain.

All during the ride and even before, Jack had been thinking about something that really bothered him; that little girl needs her father and Samantha needs her husband. And so he decided to go and talk to this world's General Hammond, to find out what was known about Jack's disappearance.

"Son, I appreciate your concern. And actually there has been some news since Captain Carter left for your world. In fact, I haven't even told her yet. I am reluctant to do so, since we no longer have the manpower to mount a successful incursion," he added.

"An incursion? Then you know where he's being held?" Jack asked in astonishment. They knew, and yet they were doing nothing to rescue him?!

"Yes, the Tok'ra...I don't know if you are familiar with them...they have intell that he is being held in a fortress on a planet we have identified as one we visited a year ago. The fortress and the nearby village were uninhabited at that time. But if the Tok'ra are correct, that is no longer true."

"Then we should go after him!" Jack almost shouted.

"Colonel O'Neill, while I appreciate that you might want to help Jack, like I said, we don't have enough men anymore. The President has decided to shut us down, as I believe Samantha told you. As soon as SG's 3 and 7 get back from their missions, the gate will be disconnected from the computer and place in storage."

"You've got two teams due back? And there's Sam and me and Daniel and Teal'c. Wouldn't three teams be enough for a rescue attempt?"

"Yes, I suppose three teams could do the job, but Colonel, are you certain you want to risk your life for someone you don't even know?"

"I know his wife and his daughter, and that's all I need to know," he assured the older man. Jack sat down and began to talk strategy to Hammond, just as he would often do back home.

"It's always safer to go in covertly anyway, rather than bang down the door and charge in with guns blazing," Jack concluded, just as Samantha knocked on the door frame. She had heard Jack's last comment through the open door, and it made chills run down her spine. She was certain they were talking about Jack!

"Charge in where? Sir, has Jack been located?" she asked hopefully, her eyes shining with an inner light.

"I'm sorry, Captain; I didn't mean for you to find out like this. Come in and sit." She did as he asked. "Yes, we think we know where Jack is. A Tok'ra spy sent word to his people, and they relayed his intell to us. Do you recall that fortress on P3X-405...the one that SG-1 found last year?" Samantha nodded her head, and Hammond continued. "It was deserted at the time, and the village too. Apparently the area is bustling with people now, and Apophis has taken up residence in the fortress. The Tok'ra claim that is where Jack is being held," Hammond told her.

"Then you have to let me go after him!" Samantha cried.

"That's what I was just saying. Once those two teams come back, we can all go!" Jack told her, and her eyes sparkled as she looked at him.

"Thank you, Colonel! I knew you were just like my Jack. You would never leave a man behind either, would you?" she asked him.

"Never!" Jack assured her. And so they began to plan their course of action.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter eleven

Unfortunately, when SG-3 returned, two members were sick with a viral infection similar to measles, and the other two had to be quarantined as well. The base CMO in this reality was Dr. Jeff Webber. [I couldn't help myself!] He hated to disappoint Samantha, but he had to tell her the truth.

"If time is of the essence, then I think you should count SG-3 out," Jeff told a very disappointed Captain Carter. "I'm sorry Samantha," he added as he patted her arm. Jack and Sam watched the exchange, and both wondered if maybe the tall, slim, handsome doctor had more than just friendly concern for Samantha.

And later that morning General Hammond called Captain Carter, Major Carter and Col. O'Neill into the briefing room to give them more bad news; two members of SG-7 were trapped in a cave until the weather on P2X-251 changed. Apparently a blizzard was going to keep them there for at least another twenty-four hours. When Jack heard the news, he blew his stack.

"You mean to tell me they're all you've got!"

"I'm sorry, Colonel, I thought I made myself clear; due to the imminent closing of this facility, I've already had to re-assign almost all other members of the SGA to other bases. I have no one left who's qualified to go off world," General Hammond told him.

"This is just bull shit! What about those marines who greeted us yesterday in the gateroom?" Jack asked him almost belligerently. Jack was beginning to get the feeling that Hammond didn't care about rescuing Lt. Col. O'Neill, and that made him really angry.

"Colonel, I'd appreciate a little more respect from you. You aren't even a member of our Air Force, and you have no right to come in here and tell me how to do my job. As for the marines...they're already left for other assignments," the bald man told him sternly.

Back home Jack was used to telling Hammond how to run things, and sometimes the man even listened to him. But he could see that things weren't going to work that way here. Major Carter patted Jack's arm, and that seemed to have a calming influence on him.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I was out of line," Jack said politely.

"Sir, Col. O'Neill is just frustrated. We all are," Captain Carter told her CO. For some reason, she felt that she needed to defend this man, much as she would have her husband, if he were here. In fact, she had defended her Jack many times in the past. And hearing Col. O'Neill getting into it head-to-head with Hammond reminded her just exactly how alike her Jack and the Colonel really were. Thinking about Jack brought a lump to her throat and a tear to her eye, as she sat at the briefing room table. She missed him more than words could ever say!

"Well, I say we go in with who we've got! My team is as good as any two teams anyway," Jack assured Hammond and Capt. Carter.

Sam looked down at the table. She also thought they were good. But it was possible they had just been lucky so far. If that was the case, would their luck hold out long enough for them to rescue Lt. Col. O'Neill?

"I'm sorry, but I can't approve a rescue mission under those circumstances," Hammond told them, and Jack sprang up out of his chair, his face a mask of rage.

"General, it should be our decision, not yours! What the fuck do you care how under-manned we are, when you'll be sitting here all safe and cozy behind your big desk!" Jack yelled at the man, who rose from his chair and stared Jack down.

"Colonel, I have taken all of the insolence from you that I am going to take! You and your wife and friends are no longer welcome on my base. So unless you have another way home, I suggest you get down to the gate room and return to your reality right now!" Hammond said, his fists clinched at his sides. He looked about ready to haul off and slug Jack, but obviously Jack was not concerned, as he knew there wasn't much the older man could do to him.

"General, we will be glad to leave, AFTER we return from P3X-405!" Jack yelled as he turned toward the stairs. Sam got up and ran after him, leaving Captain Carter bringing up the rear

"Samantha, dial the gate! Then meet us at the armory!" Luckily Daniel and Teal'c were in the hallway below when he and Sam got there. "Come on, guys, we need to get as many weapons as we can carry!" Jack yelled, not waiting to explain the situation to the two men. They both jogged after Sam and Jack, knowing that Jack would never tell them to get weapons, unless the situation called for them.

Capt. Carter ran to the computer terminal and typed in the address to P3X-405. Then she typed in a formula that locked the dialing protocols and wouldn't allow the gate to be disconnected from the power source, just in case anyone tried to prevent them from returning. There was no one to stop her, and very soon the big metal ring began to turn. Then she ran down the stairs and toward the armory, where the others were putting on Kevlar vests and grabbing weapons. All of them took something similar to P-90's and 9mil hand guns and several extra clips of ammo. They didn't expect to go in shooting, but coming out that way was certainly a possibility!

Jack also took a large knife, which he wore in an ankle sheath. Then he put a coil of nylon rope and some other items into his pack and slung it over his shoulder. Lastly he handed Sam two Claymores, which she put in her pack, the two explosive devices taking up most of the space available. "I know you'll make good use of these," he told her, and she smiled. Teal'c found a blast staff in the back of the small room and checked it to make sure it still had power. It did, so he took it and a zat gun as well. When they were as ready as they could be, they jogged to the gate room, where the wormhole awaited them.

"We have no idea if the gate is guarded or not, so be ready to come out shooting! Teal'c take point," Jack ordered, and the big man stepped ahead of the other four, the zat gun in one hand and the blast staff in the other. "Okay, head out!" Jack yelled, and they marched up the ramp, their guns ready.

General Hammond watched from the control room. He nodded and smiled, silently wishing them well.

The gate on P3X-405 turned out to be unguarded, and set in a field of wild flowers, giving the planet an almost idyllic look. "If only the rest of the planet were as hospitable," Daniel commented as they looked around.

"There's the fortress, on that hill," Captain Carter told them, pointing up and to her right. "The village is at the base of the mountain, just below it. If the inhabitants were brought here by Apophis, I don't imagine we'll get a friendly welcome in the village, so maybe we'd better bypass it," she suggested, and Jack nodded. He was really beginning to like this Carter. He could see many similarities between her and Sam, and not just in appearance. They were both confident in their abilities as scientists and as soldiers, and they were equally as willing to go the distance for those they loved. Lt. Col. Jack O'Neill was a lucky man, and so was he!

Jack gave the order to stick together and head toward the base of the hill, but to keep plenty of distance between them and the villagers. He told Daniel and Sam to take point, while he walked in the middle of the group with Capt. Carter. Teal'c brought up the rear. Soon they were in a dark forested area, where daylight barely brushed the ground, creating shadows and a cooler, damp atmosphere that chilled them all to the bone. Samantha had explained that this path would take them a lot longer to get to the bottom of the hill where the great buildings stood, but at least they probably wouldn't run into anyone along the way. And she had been correct.

Seeing a patch of bright daylight not too far ahead, Jack stuck his fist in the air, indicating for them to stop where they were. They crouched around him and listened. "We've got about 50 more yards before we hit another clearing. The foundation of the buildings shouldn't be much farther than that. Teal'c and I are gonna go take a look to see if the way is clear. The rest of you stay put!" he ordered quietly, and the two men left on silent feet. Sam, Samantha and Daniel sat down on the moist ground and waited, each drinking from their water bottles. After a few minutes, they heard something that was unmistakable...it was the sound of someone firing a staff weapon! All three sprang onto their feet and held their P-90's out in front of them.

"Come on, they may need our help!" Sam said as she headed in the direction the Colonel and Teal'c had taken just minutes earlier. The other two followed her without question. Sam was in the lead when she heard talking in another language. She immediately dropped to the ground and listened, as did Samantha and Daniel. For a couple of minutes they lay as still as they could, trying not to make any sounds, while they listened to the two men in the clearing up ahead. They seemed to be arguing with each other, Sam thought, wondering what was being said. She turned to Daniel, who leaned close to her and whispered, "Jaffa! They've caught someone! One of them wants to take him, but the other wants to kill him right now!"

Sam's eyes grew large as she wondered exactly who the two Jaffa had caught. Rising onto her knees she peered through the ferns and was finally able to see the back of their prisoner, as he rose onto his knees. It was Teal'c, and he was surrounded by an entire platoon of Jaffa! The two who had been arguing seemed to have decided to take the prisoner to their god, and so Teal'c was prodded by one of the men with a staff weapon in his back until he managed to stand up. The same man pushed him in the back again, and they all started off in the direction of the fortress. It was then that Sam saw a line of blood running down Teal'c's arm. In fact the entire upper left side of his t-shirt was dark with it, just above the armhole of the protective vest. So Teal'c had been wounded and captured, but where was Jack? Sam and her group continued to watch the Jaffa until they could no longer see them, then she stood up.

"I've got to see if the Colonel is out there somewhere. He could be wounded or worse," Sam said, and the other two nodded.

"I'll help you look," Daniel said, and Sam didn't feel like arguing with him. So far this mission seemed to be doomed anyway, and right now all she cared about was finding Jack.

"I'll help you too. After all, it's my fault this has happened," Samantha told her, and at first Sam didn't say anything. She just wasn't the kind of person to place blame for something like this. If she had been in Captain Carter's shoes, she would have not have done anything differently, and she would have been grateful for any help she got.

"No, it's not your fault, Samantha. If it's anyone's fault, it's that damned snake, Apophis," Sam hissed, sounding so much like Jack that it made Daniel smile.

Suddenly they heard a twig snap and there was Jack, breathing heavily, but otherwise looking as fit as a fiddle.

"Jack!" Sam cried out as she ran into his arms. She wasn't crying, but she felt close to it!

"Hey, what's wrong? You didn't think those bastards had killed me, did you?"

"I wasn't sure! Where have you been? They took Teal'c away with them...toward the fortress. He's been wounded," Sam told him, and he nodded as he took the cap off his water bottle and took a long drink.

"I know. I think I made it look pretty convincing," Jack said, and the other three stared at him.

"You shot Teal'c?" Daniel asked, a shocked expression on his face.

"Yah, let him have it in the arm with the blast staff. It's really just superficial, but it bled pretty good. I figured the Jaffa would think one of their own did it. For a few minutes there I wasn't sure they were gonna take him to Apophis, but fortunately for Teal'c, it looks like that's where they've gone," Jack explained.

"So you planned for him to get captured? Why didn't you let us in on your plan?" Daniel asked with exasperation. He knew Jack could make risky snap decisions, but he thought this was one of the most stupid yet!

"Just thought it up when we saw the platoon of Jaffa. Don't worry, Teal'c will be just fine. He and Apophis go way back. I'm sure the old snake-in-the-grass will be happy to see him. I figure they have plenty of reminiscing to do, and in the meantime we have a man on the inside and something to distract the snake," Jack assured them.

"How do you know Apophis won't just kill Teal'c?" Samantha asked him, wondering how this man's mind could work so much like her husbands! Her Jack often did outrageous things like this too, and most of the time they worked!

"Trust me! If there's one thing I know it's Goa'ulds. When they have a grudge against someone, they like to keep 'em around and torture 'em for a long, long time. It's how they get their rocks off," he said with a chuckle. Sam rolled her eyes at him. Sometimes even she couldn't believe the things he said! "Besides, I heard one of them say that their god isn't even here right now."

Sometimes Jack really surprised Daniel, and now was one of them. "You understand Jaffa?"

"Yah, enough," Jack replied.

"Okay, so now what?" Daniel asked him and everyone turned their attention to Jack to hear what else he hand planned.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter twelve

They were crouched down at the edge of the clearing, concealed by some large boulders and fallen trees. Sam kept her eyes on the pathway the Jaffa had taken, just in case they returned. It was odd not to see a Goa'uld mother ship hovering nearby, and she wondered where it was.

"I kind of expected to see Apophis' ship sitting up there," Sam commented.

"I guess he took it to get an oil change," Jack joked. He really didn't care where the ship or Apophis was. All he cared about just now was where O'Neill and Teal'c were being held prisoner!

"Carter, I want that trail up the mountain rigged to blow. If we have to come back that way, I'd like to leave them something to remember us by! Once we find a way inside that place, we'll stick together. Daniel, Samantha and me will wait up top to the left of the trail, behind that outcropping of rock. See it?" Sam looked up the hill and nodded.

"Okay, let's do it!" They all took off running, Sam falling back when they reached the steep, dirt pathway that led up to the large, stone buildings above. The light was beginning to fade now, but she could still see well enough to set the Claymores, one on either side of the trail. As soon as she was finished, she ran to catch up with the others. They made their way quietly over the rise and lay on their bellies, peering through the growing darkness, along the path. Seeing only one way in from this side of the wall that surrounded the buildings, Jack shook his head.

"We can't go in the front door," he decided, and then he slipped off his pack and dug into it, pulling out a bundle of nylon cord and a small, collapsible grappling hook. He attached the hook to the cord and began walking. "So, we'll take the back door," he quipped as he led the group around to the left, where the wall rose fifteen to twenty feet above their heads.

"But Jack, we have no idea what's on the other side!" Daniel hissed in alarm. Jack ignored him, as he often did. After walking about 100 yards, Jack stood with his back to the wall and threw the hook up over his head. It came down on the other side of the wall, making very little noise. Jack pulled on the nylon cord, looping the excess around his hand, until the line was taut. Then he gave it a couple of hard jerks, just to make sure the grappling hook was holding firm.

"That's why I'm going up first. If anything happens to me, you guys get the hell out of here," Jack ordered, and then he began to climb the rope hand over hand, hauling his body up with seemingly effortless ease. The others stood below and watched him disappear from sight entirely, as he reached the top and went over. Suddenly his head reappeared, and they heard him call out to them. "Piece of cake! Come on up! Samantha, you're next!" he called out, keeping his voice just above a whisper.

In a couple of minutes Samantha disappeared over the wall, and then it was Sam's turn. Finally all four were on the other side of the wall, where the ground was only about twelve feet from the top. They dropped down with ease and ran to hide behind some hay that was stacked up against the wall. Apparently this area was where the livestock was kept, because they could smell animals, and hear them as well. Jack's nose had noticed the odor even from outside the wall, or he wouldn't have been so keen on climbing over! The group hunkered down and took the opportunity to drink some water, as they formulated a plan of action.

"If we could disguise ourselves as locals, we might have a chance to locate O'Neill and get close to him," Jack suggested. He was also counting on Teal'c being nearby and able to help when the time came.

"I can probably fit in easier than the rest of you," Daniel said, suggesting that his ability to speak Goa'uld, Jaffa and many other languages would give him an advantage.

"Okay. Let's see if we can find some appropriate clothing for Daniel to wear," Jack said, as the four left their hiding place in the cover of darkness. They headed toward the main gate and soon came up behind a group of three Jaffa, who were obviously supposed to be on guard duty. However, they were clearly at play while their sovereign was away. The men were sitting on barrels around a tree stump and were immersed in some sort of game involving sticks and stones. The men were also drinking and were clearly not counting on having any visitors at this hour of night, particularly not anyone approaching from inside the wall!

Sam had an idea how to separate the men and take them down quietly, one at a time. Now she'd have to see if Jack went for it. She began taking off her vest and other military paraphernalia.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jack asked her.

"I'm going to lure one of them back here," she told him.

"No you're not!" Jack hissed at her. But it was too late; she had already left their hiding place and begun to walk toward the three Jaffa. Tugging her black t-shirt out of her pants, she pulled it into a knot under her breasts, baring her midriff. Then she ruffled her hair and licked her lips. When she got to where the torchlight shone down on her, she spoke to them.

"Hey, big guy! Why don't you come over here and see what I've got for you," she said in a seductive voice, as she wagged a finger at one of the men. Even though she knew they couldn't understand her words, she hoped the gist of her message would come across in her tone and in her actions, and apparently it did! One of the men had reached down to the ground for his staff weapon, but he put it down again and rose from his seat. Then he began to weave in her direction. Sam backed up slowly, leading him into the darkness to where she knew Jack was waiting. The Jaffa reached out toward Sam's blonde hair, and Jack grabbed the man from behind. The only noise anyone heard was a slight gurgle when Jack slit the guard's throat. Then with Sam's help, he dragged the dead Jaffa behind a pillar and began to undress him.

It wasn't long before the Jaffa's two friends decided to see what had happened to their cohort. First they called out to him. When he didn't reply, one of them came to look for him. He was greeted with Jack's fist in his face, which knocked him out cold before he could utter a sound. Jack caught the man and dragged him away. By this time Daniel was dressed in the Jaffa uniform, and Sam had put on her vest and other equipment. To make himself appear darker-skinned like the guard, Daniel rubbed some damp soil on his face. Then he slowly approached the third Jaffa, who began to address him animatedly, waving his hands about. Daniel said something that Jack didn't catch, and the Jaffa replied, albeit cautiously. Daniel kept walking slowly forward, until he got within ten feet of the guard. Upon seeing Daniel's face in the glow of the torchlight, the man began to reach for his zat gun, but Daniel was faster, dropping him with one blast.

Back in the shadows Jack used the guard's zat to shoot both of the men twice and then a third time to make them disappear. He strutted forward toward Daniel's location, the two women following him. "Take care of him, Daniel," he told the younger man. When Daniel hesitated, Jack shot the Jaffa two more times.

"You didn't have to do that, Jack," Daniel complained.

"We've got no choice, Daniel. Leaving them here would announce our presence. And I don't want to meet a couple of pissed off Jaffa on my way out, do you?" he asked. Daniel didn't argue. He could see Jack's point, he just hated seeing people killed...even Jaffa loyal to Apophis.

"Put on his helmet and scout ahead. Let's get this show on the road!" Jack said, urging them forward. After traversing a long hallway lit by torches placed high on the wall, and finding nothing but storage rooms on either side, they finally came to a fork in the road, where they had to make a decision...to go up a flight of stairs or down.

"Most likely prisoners are held down below," Samantha remarked, and Jack nodded in agreement. Daniel headed down the stairs first, after removing the helmet. It was really hard to see very much with the damned thing on, especially in these dimly-lit passageways!

Suddenly from somewhere down below they heard men shouting. Hurrying their pace, they came to the bottom of the winding, stone stairs rather abruptly. In front of them was a landing constructed of wood, with a railing around it and an attached wooden staircase that led straight down to the right, deep inside the mountain. They could hear the sounds coming from down below...the sounds of flesh hitting flesh, an occasional scuffle of feet and men calling out excitedly.

Samantha wanted to dash to the railing and look below, but she knew that would be a bad idea. And so she waited with Sam and Daniel, while Jack crouched down and literally crawled to the edge of the five-by-five foot, square platform on his belly. He looked down and what he saw made him smile. There were two bare-chested, sweaty men slugging it out down there, and one of them was Teal'c! Jack suspected that this sparring match had been his wily friend's way of getting out of his cell. Jack guessed that Teal'c had challenged the other Jaffa to a bare-handed fight, so he would be free to help once Jack and the others got there. It was also a good way to take the guards' attention off of Lt. Col. O'Neill, who had undoubtedly taken enough punishment from them already.

And now the big alien, who Jack had come to love as a brother, was toying with the naive Jaffa, while a half dozen of the man's comrades looked on. Jack knew that Teal'c was holding back...not wanting the show to be over too soon. When either man landed a blow to the other, comments were made and coins were tossed in a pile that was growing at the men's feet. Jack looked around the perimeter of the large room and saw a face peering back at him. For a second it spooked him to see Lt. Col. O'Neill's face looking up at him through the bars of his cell. Jack backed up the way he had come and dropped back into the shadows of the stairwell.

"Teal'c's softening them up for us," Jack whispered. The others gave him a confused look, which Jack ignored. "O'Neill's in the first cell opposite the stairs. Daniel, go out there and tell them some of the villagers are causing trouble. Tell them their rioting, stealing, whatever!...and they need to get into town and take care of things asap. Remind them that Apophis will be really pissed, if he finds out they were playing, when they should have been working. And tell them that you'll watch the prisoners while they're gone. Then head on down there."

Daniel replaced the heavy, metal helmet and closed the face plate, before stepping out onto the landing. After he spoke to the men in his most austere voice, one man shouted back to him, obviously arguing with whatever Daniel had said. Daniel yelled back at the man, and this time the man said something to his fellow Jaffa. The men scrambled to retrieve the money and to put their armor back on. Daniel began to slowly descend the stairs. And just as Jack had hoped, the Jaffa left the area by way of a hallway that led further into the mountain. Now they could use this staircase to escape, without running into these guys!

"You women stay here," Jack ordered, but Samantha was already heading down the stairs before he could stop her.

"He's her husband, Jack," was all Sam said. Jack just grunted. She watched from above as Samantha ran to the cell where Lt. Col. O'Neill was being held. O'Neill reached his fingers through the bars, touching his wife's hand for the first time in months. Teal'c knew where the key to the cage was kept, and he quickly got it and unlocked the door. The instant the door opened, Samantha ran inside and into her husband's arms. He picked her up off the floor, kissing her soundly before letting her down. Jack watched them from above, glad to see that his double seemed to be in pretty good health, considering his lengthy imprisonment.

"Come on, you two! You can play kissy face later...once you're safe at home," Jack called down to them. His double came out of the cell, holding Samantha's hand as he looked up at Jack.

"You're just as crazy as I am!" Lt. Col. O'Neill called back to him. He had just asked Samantha how many SGA teams they had brought with them. When she said 'none', he knew this Jack O'Neill not only looked like him, but he was just as wacko as him too! They reached the landing, and the two sets of black eyes met at close range for the first time.

"I'm not really crazy. I just don't believe in leaving anyone behind. Come on!" And then Jack began climbing the stone stairs two at a time. The group followed him. "If we hurry, maybe we won't have to scale the wall again," he told them as he almost ran down the hallway. And when they got to the main gate once again, Jack's prediction was correct; thanks to his earlier decision to remove the Jaffa from their post, the gate was still unguarded. Jack just smiled smugly to himself, as they walked out effortlessly.

As they quickly made their way back down the path through the forest, Daniel worked at removing the heavy armor, tossing it aside as he went.

"So what did you say to that guy when he questioned your right to order him and his men around?" Jack asked him. Now it was Daniel's turn to smile smugly.

"I told him that if he didn't do exactly as I said, I would tell his wife that he was sleeping with my wife as well," Daniel replied. "I overheard one of his men joking with him about his extra-marital affair, while we were hidden on the stairs. Apparently, in Jaffa land, a an angry wife is the one thing all husbands fear above anything else."

"Indeed!" Teal'c responded with more enthusiasm than they had heard from him in quite a while, and everyone but him laughed.

"Say, Teal'c, I really have to thank you for starting that sparring match," Lt. Col. O'Neill told him. "I was really getting tired of being the center of attention down there," he joked. Both Sam and Samantha smiled at how easily he could joke about what had happened to him.

"It was nothing I wouldn't do for any friend," Teal'c said, bowing his large, bald head.

They encountered no problems, and in less than a hour they were safely through the stargate and back at Captain Carter's SGA.

TBC

AN: I am soooo excited about my new book! WHAT THE HEART WANTS will be released on February 17, 2014. Go to MarieCaron .com to find out about it.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter thirteen

Sam thought there could be nothing in her career more rewarding than seeing Lt. Col. Jack O'Neill back with his family. Katie, who had been taken care of in the infirmary by the base CMO, Dr. Jeff Webber, was very happy to see both of her parents. Sam and Daniel looked on as they were reunited. Jack had backed away from the happy scene, which he found to be very unsettling. He knew what it was that was upsetting him; he was a bit jealous that this Jack O'Neill had a child who still had a chance at life, while his son was dead and buried.

Jack went over to the other side of the room, where Dr. Webber was taking a look at Teal'c's injury. "So, T, how's the wing? I hope I didn't hurt you too bad?" Jack asked him, as he felt a twinge in his back. It had been hurting quite a bit for the past few hours, but as usual he had worked hard to hide the fact from Sam.

"It will heal," he said in his usual unemotional way.

"Yah, that's what I figured," Jack admitted, watching as the doctor cleaned the wound.

"Let me get this straight; YOU shot Teal'c?" the doctor asked, a shocked look on his face.

"Yah. So?" Jack asked, not certain he liked the man's attitude.

"You could have killed him!"

"Nah, I knew what I was doing."

"Just a few inches to the left, and you would have hit him in the heart," Jeff exclaimed.

"It wasn't that close, was it?" Jack asked, tilting his head to get a better look.

"I believe he is correct, O'Neill," Teal'c replied, and Jack gave him a disgruntled look, obviously upset that Teal'c was siding with the other man.

"Jack, I think it's time we went home now," Sam suggested and he grunted his response.

"We can never repay you for your kindness and your help, Colonel. You've given us a chance to save our baby," Samantha told him with tears in her eyes.

"Yah, we owe you, big time!" her husband added.

"Think nothing of it! We do it all the time!" Jack said loudly. "Come on team, let's get this show on the road! I'm gettin hungry!" he cried as he strolled out of the infirmary.

Everyone followed him toward the gate room, including Samantha and the Lt. Colonel, who was carrying his daughter. Samantha went upstairs and typed in the correct address that would send the four home. And then she ran down the stairs and came to stand next to her husband and child, as SG-1 stood ready at the bottom of the gate ramp.

Jack looked up at the control room, meeting the eyes of this world's General Hammond, a man he didn't envy. Jack could only hope that shutting down the stargate program would have the desired results. Otherwise, this place was in for one terrible future! Jack gave the man a full salute, and received on in return. Then he led his team through the stargate.

Back at the SGC...

After the usual post-mission physicals, and a short meeting with Hammond, they were dismissed. General Hammond had asked Jack to come in the next afternoon to begin interviewing replacement candidates to fill Sam's position on SG-1, but otherwise the team was on downtime till further notice. Sam would begin putting together her staff next week. But first she needed to move the rest of her things to Jack's house, and then she wanted to talk to a real estate agent about selling hers.

Jack and Sam were heading home, when Sam released a long sigh. Jack looked over at his wife, wondering what that sigh was all about.

"What?"

"I was just thinking, that may be the last trip I'll ever take through the stargate," she said sadly.

"But you knew that was a possibility when you quit. You said you were okay with that. Have you changed your mind?" he asked, hoping she wasn't already having regrets about the changes she had made in her career.

"I know I did. And I would be okay with it, if I were pregnant," she told him honestly.

"Well, then, I guess I've got my work cut out for me," he told her. Sam looked over at him and smiled as she patted his hand.

"I want you to rest when we get home. No monkeying around for a day or two," she said, and Jack frowned at her. "I can tell your back's been bothering you, Jack. So don't tell me it hasn't!"

"Now why would I do that?" he asked, wondering when this woman had begun reading his mind. If he really thought about it, he would have decided she had been reading him loud and clear for a couple of years!

Once Jack was settled in his favorite easy chair, with his feet on an ottoman, Sam got him a bottle of his favorite beer and went to the kitchen to prepare a late supper. While she was stirring a pot of rigatoni that was boiling on the stove, her cell phone began to buzz and vibrate. Then it began to ring shrilly.

"It's mine!" she shouted as she jumped to the counter to grab it. She had seen Jack move to get up, but now he sat back in the chair and listened instead. He couldn't hear the words of the caller, but it wasn't long before he knew who it was.

"Hello! What's up, Janet? Yes. I know you always do. What! Oh, my God!"

"What?" Jack shouted, as he heard Sam's response to whatever Janet had said.

"I'm pregnant!" she shouted back as she came running toward him, cell phone in hand. She sat down on his lap and let him put his arms around her, while she spoke to Janet.

"No! I had no idea! Okay, I will. Yes, he's right here, and he couldn't be happier," she said, looking at Jack's smiling face. "Okay, I'll talk to you later. Bye!" And then she snapped the phone shut and put both arms around Jack's neck, pressing her lips to his. When they parted to take a breath, Sam explained. "Janet stayed late to run my blood test herself. She said I had a certain look about me, and she was just sure I was pregnant! Isn't that amazing?"

"What's amazing is you, Sam. You are the most beautiful, most wonderful, most amazing woman in the entire universe, and I don't know how I got so lucky," he confessed, feeling overwhelmed. Sam saw the tears glistening in his eyes before he turned his head to the side in an attempt to hide them. She put her hands on his face and turned his head toward her. Jack closed his eyes, and Sam kissed his eyelids, tasting the salty tears on her lips.

"I love you so much, Jack! You are my hero. Don't you know that?"

"What I know is that I'm an idiot who doesn't deserve you," he replied.

"That is NOT true!" Suddenly her eyes went to the kitchen, where a pot of rigatoni sat on the stove, now totally over-cooked. "Crap!" she cried.

"What?"

"I ruined the dinner...again," Sam told him. Sam actually had ruined dinner a couple of times before, and even Jack had to admit that cooking was not her strong suit.

"I don't care, honey. I've got you, and our baby, and that's all I need," he said as he pulled her against his chest. Sam rested her head on his shoulder, her lips just grazing his neck. She was beginning to feel amorous, and she suspected that he was too. But having sex tonight, while his back was still so sore, was not a good idea and she knew it.

"You said you were hungry, Jack, and there's nothing else in the house to eat. I'll go get something, and be right back," she offered, trying to get up. But Jack wouldn't let her go.

"No, baby, you're not goin anywhere. Call for a pizza," he suggested, and Sam opened her cell phone and dialed the local pizza delivery place. After ordering one large pizza with Jack's favorite toppings, she ordered a second, smaller one with her favorite toppings on it.

"Now, where were we," Jack teased as he pulled her toward him and began to kiss the side of her neck. His warm hands began to worm their way under the bottom of her sweater, sending chills down her spine.

"No, Jack, I don't think that's such a good idea," she whined, as she squirmed to get out of his embrace. "Honey, remember your back! And besides, before you know it the doorbell will be ringing," she told him sensibly. Jack let go, and Sam got up, going into the kitchen to dump out the pot of mushy pasta.

Back at the SGC the following Monday...

Jack had just finished a meeting with General Hammond and the top three candidates for the vacant position on SG-1, when the klaxons sounded and the words "Off-world activation!" rang through the entire base, sending them running down the stairs to the control room.

"There aren't any teams due back this morning, and SG-14 isn't scheduled to phone home until 15:00," Jack stated, thinking out loud. Hammond's mouth was set in a grim line, as they watched the gate room fill with armed marines. Daniel and Teal'c came bounding up the stairs to join O'Neill and Hammond.

"I'm afraid this may be bad news," the General said, meaning it was probably one of the teams that were off-world, and they were calling to say they had run into some sort of trouble. It occurred to Jack that it also could be the Tok'ra coming to call with one of their hair-brained contraptions or proposals, or his father-in-law, Jacob, coming to throttle him for ruining Sam's life.

"Sirs, the IDC belongs to SG-1!" the sergeant on duty called out, and everyone frowned. "Oh, oh, here we go again!" Daniel said what they were all thinking.

"We should open it," Jack said, meaning the iris. Hammond nodded his head in exasperation. He didn't see that he had any choice, but he certainly didn't like it much!

"Open the iris, Sergeant," Hammond affirmed.

Every set of eyes in the control room and gate room was on the shimmering puddle of the event horizon, as one lone figure stepped through. He took a few steps forward and then stopped, his arms held up and out, in the universal sign of surrender. He was dressed in what was obviously some sort of decontamination suit or EVAC suit. Before he spoke, he removed the helmet, and now everyone present could clearly see the man's face.

"My name is General Jonathan O'Neill, and I need to speak to your commanding officer!" the man yelled. Jack just stared for a minute, and then he turned to General Hammond and said, "**General** O'Neill? How in the hell did I ever make General?"

THE END


End file.
